


The Epic Of Artemis

by LaughingThalia



Series: Epic [1]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Wonder Woman (Comics), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greece & Rome, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Battle, Battle Couple, Bisexual Female Character, Canon Queer Character, Developing Relationship, Dimension Travel, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Goddesses, Gods, Mentions of non-con, Not Canon Compliant, Pagan Gods, Pining, Self-Exile, Strong Female Characters, The Aeneid References, War, When they get back things might fold back into canon depending on how the issues #40-#43 go, sapphic relationship, will they won't they
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-01-03 00:43:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21170594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingThalia/pseuds/LaughingThalia
Summary: "ARTEMIS!""Don't call me Princess!"...It was the last thing she remembered before waking up in Ancient Greece. Artemis needs to find Bizarro and she needs to get home but first she has to figure out what the heck is going on and try to get through her quest without angering too many Greek gods, gods that she doesn't even follow for goddesses sake. Of course it doesn't help that she's got Athena on her tail and a war brewing in the horizon.ORThe 12 issue long Epic about what happened to Artemis and Bizarro after Red Hood and the Outlaws #25 that we deserve instead of that 1 issue rush job that was Red Hood: Outlaw Annual #3 no offence Lobdell.





	1. Book I: The Gates

**Author's Note:**

> This is in the style of the ancient Greek and Roman epics mainly Virgil's Aeneid. I take a lot of hints and tropes from that and Homer's Iliad like for example people thinking that Artemis might be a goddess and her status as exile and her journey to get back home (Nostos).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:
> 
> The Loneliest Girl from Carole and Tuesday  
and  
Outrunning Karma by Alec Benjamin

**_I_** **_sing of arms and of the woman, fated to be an exile, who has long since left the land of Bana-Mighdall and all of her sisters and came to Thalassa to the gates of the great city; and the great pounding she took by land and sea at the hands of the heavenly gods because of the fierce and unforgetting anger of Athena._**

** _Great too were her sufferings in war before she could find a great city and defend it nobly with her life._ **

** _This was the beginning of the end for the Outlaws, the hidden heroes of Gotham and their floating fortress in the skies._ **

** _Tell me Clio, Muse of History, the causes of her anger. How did she violate the will of the goddess of war? What was her offence?_ **

** _Why did she drive a woman famous for her bravery to such endless hardship and suffering? Can there be so much anger in the hearts of the heavenly gods?_ **

_“And don’t call me princess!”_

_“ARTEMIS!” _

She woke with a start. She had been laying out flat on her back, in the centre of a crater and she felt like absolute hell on earth. She blinked up at the clear blue sky where the shining sun was high, it must be noon wherever she was. She’d been in an explosion, that had been at night. Or at least it had been in Gotham which was always dark.

She sat up carefully, her memories rushing back to her at once “Bizarro?” She whisper yelled, unsure where she was or if there were enemies around but if Biz was close he would hear her, “Bizarro?!” She stumbled to her feet, her whole body protested, and climbed out of the crater wearily.

She scanned the terrain and found whilst it was beautiful, it would be hard to find anyone in. There were huge, lush olive trees all around her, they were honestly beautiful but Artemis didn’t have time to appreciate it, she had to get Bizarro and she had to get back home.

She turned around and saw she must have destroyed one of the trees when she landed, she pulled a few twigs from her hair and brushed the dirt off her as best as she could. If there were trees growing olives around maybe the farmer in charge of them would be close by, she could if nothing else, ask where she was.

She chose a direction and walked, even if she didn’t find a building she could find the edge of this forest, maybe then she could get her bearings. She’d grown up wandering the Middle Eastern deserts so this was nothing in comparison but it was still tiring, especially after she’d just walked away from an extremely harsh crash landing.

She must have been walking for a day before she came across any civilisation. It was a few small huts, clearly on the edge of a larger city but at least it was something. She knocked on the first one she came to and was greeted by a kind looking couple “Greetings traveller.” The husband said cheerfully “I am Castor and this is my wife Andrea.”

“Hello Castor and Andrea, my name is Artemis and it would appear I’ve gotten myself lost.”

Andrea smiled warmly, “Come in stranger, there isn’t another city around for quite a while so you must be tired. I will make some food and my servant will run you a bath to wash yourself.”

Artemis thanked them both for their kindness as a maid of some kind appeared and led her to a large bucket filled with warm water she had heated over a fire. Artemis hesitated before stripping off her armour, it wouldn’t do to be caught naked if these people turned out to not be nearly as friendly as they appeared to be but either way she had Mistress at her side and she doubted they would mess with a 6 foot woman and an axe, even if she was naked. 

It had become quite clear that wherever she had been sent by that infernal dimensional doorway, it was very much in line with the culture of her ancestors and the ways of the ancient world. She’d studied the world of Heroes, amazons had a better understanding of it all than most, but she was still a 21st Century girl, she’d never lived this kind of life even with all the traditions that had been passed on and how insular Bana-Mighdall was.

“What is your name?” Artemis asked as she scrubbed the grime and sweat of the previous struggle with the ship, the struggle to enter their flying fortress and the long trek here off her body.

“My name is Carisa.”

“Carisa tell me, where am I?” She carefully pulled her hair through the water, picking out any leaves or twigs that had gotten caught in it when she had landed in a literal tree.

“We are on the outer walls of the City of Thálassa, favourite Polis of Poseidon.”

She frowned at that “Poseidon.”

“You don’t worship Poseidon?”

“Of course I worship as many gods as I can but where I come from… we’re not too fond of the male Olympians.” She didn’t mention that she really wasn’t a fan of _ any _ Olympian. The gods were flawed but it would be dumb to openly criticise them too harshly, especially to their believers.

“May I ask why not?” Carisa asked curious.

“My people, like most, we were subjugated and mistreated by men. My ancestors were caged, shackled, enslaved by men, only the goddesses of Olympus answered our prayers, only they freed us even though some of the women were daughters of the gods that failed to act. There’s been a strain ever since.”

Carisa nodded “I can understand that. My own grandmother was raped by Zeus in the form of a swan.”

Artemis sighed “He does that a lot. It almost makes me feel bad for Hera.”

Carisa giggled into her hand shyly before stopping, sparing a glance to the sky to make sure the Queen of the Heavens didn’t materialise before them and smite them where they stood. “I’ll have to pray extra heard to the Queen tonight.”

Artemis smiled humourlessly “It seems so will I. And another to Poseidon so that I may have safe passage in his city.”

Artemis made sure to wash thoroughly in the water, who knows what kind of diseases she could have brought her or what she could catch. It had been a long time since she’d had a bath, she’d forgotten how much hassle the hair was in a tub. Showers were more efficient. When she got out, more traditional clothes were waiting for her although her armour had been folded neatly and put into a cloth bag for Artemis to take with her when she left. The bag was dyed red and Artemis’ eyes widened, dye was expensive in those days, especially red. “I can’t possibly take this bag.”

“Please, it’s our gift to you.” Andrea insisted.

“It’s far too grand. Red dye? That must have been costly!” Everything these people were wearing was plain and colourless, they didn’t spend their money on dye willy nilly but they were giving it away to her?

Castor waved her off “No more of this conversation, the bag is yours, when you go to the city take it with you, please.”

Artemis’ immediate gut reaction was to be suspicious of the bag they were offering her but then she thought about where she was, or when she was. The level of kindness the gods expected people to show strangers was immense, not just a place to sleep but your own bed, not just a meal to eat but you best cow, despite how unwelcoming and territorial the gods were they expected mortals to go above and beyond for those they did not know, the stranger and here was this couple doing exactly that, whether out of kindness or fear of the divine retribution a snub could bring, Artemis couldn’t tell. “Thank you.”

The cream, almost white and baggy robes she was wearing was very reminiscent of how she had dressed when she wasn’t training. They brought back many memories of her time in Bana Mighdall, they may have followed Egyptian gods but Egypt had long been subject to Greek customs and Greek rules and even in their closed off sand storm city the Hellenistic ways had bled through.

They all sat around the table and Castor cut the meat his wife had cooked and Carisa mixed the wine with water so as not to get them all drunk with no cause to celebrate and poured them all a glass and they all put food on their plate and then they all got up and scraped the best part into the fire dedicating it to a god.

As promised Carisa dedicated hers to Hera for forgiveness of her earlier rudeness, Castor to Apollo to care for his cows, Andrea to Aphrodite and Demeter for luck in fertility and Artemis prayed to Poseidon, just to butter him up in case she needed a favour.

She knew basically anything she could know about the Greek Pantheon, just because she wasn’t fond of them doesn’t mean she didn’t read up on them, but she had never prayed to them before. Her own gods had barely answered them by the time she’d been born, yet alone the old gods. It still felt like betrayal now to pray to the Greeks.

They ate jovially, despite Artemis’ worry for Bizarro, she knew better than to be a bad guest when her hosts were being so generous. She tried to grill them about the city in the nicest way possible, like who their leader was, any enemies they had, how Poseidon had come to be their god, any heroes they were famous for, anything and everything she could think of, she slipped into the conversation until Castor eventually stopped her. “You have asked us much about our city, why don’t you tell us a bit about you.”

Artemis stared down at her still full wine cup. How was she to explain Gotham to people who didn’t even live in the urban centre of Ancient Greece? “My lover was given the power of the gods and it drove her mad and she tried to destroy the whole city. I had to… I had to stop her. I left then, too many bad memories, too much bad blood and I found a new city to call home, a new way to be a hero away from my past but in order to save my new city I had to leap into the unknown and I ended up here.”

“Did you anger a god?”

“No, no god brought me here. It was closer to magic. A dark spell weaved under the influence of an addiction. I couldn’t let all those people be killed.”

“So you became an exile a second time.”

Artemis took a sip of her wine “What must you think of me? A person without a country is worse than a barbarian.” In her own world being stateless, whilst sad, had never been an issue. In this world, one based on Greek customs and culture? Killing a loved one was bad luck, it was miasma they probably thought she had been kicked out. And being stateless to some was worse than death.

“It looks like you did all you could to save your home. Every city needs a hero.”

Artemis looked away. A hero. She’d been a lot of things, a mercenary, an outlaw, an exile? Had she ever been a hero? “I did what anyone would do.”

After they had eaten Castor got a beautiful chestnut brown horse from the paddock and rode her to the city gates. He told the guards about how she was lost and one the guards, took her to the palace. She’d forgotten how small things used to be, how a new arrival in a city used to catch the attention of the monarch.

The guard led her through the city to the place in the centre and Artemis couldn’t help but marvel, it reminded her of Themyscira, huge white marble temples and forums alongside much smaller mud-brick houses and buildings, beautiful gardens and statues to the gods alongside stalls and markets and people living their lives. The city looked old but well kept, as they walked through the square she saw the news being read out, a poet in the city had a new poem out that would be performed in the theatre, a thief had been found guilty by a jury of his peers, a noblewoman had had a baby boy. All around her people were living their lives, it was a bustling urban city centre and even as it felt so foreign to her 21st Century sensibilities it also felt strangely like home, it reminded her of Bana-Mighdall. They were more technically advanced than Themyscira, more motivated to change by their origin but they were still largely stuck in the past, they still defaulted to the traditional way of doing things and it was a lot like this.

She had been expecting a pompous king when she reached the palace, one who would probably hit on her and who she would have to politely decline even if she wished she could run him through with her sword, and steeled herself against her own red hot temper but she was surprised to instead come face to face with a throne room with one throne and a regal-looking women sat in it.

She was dressed from head to toe in rich purple robes and had a startling jewel hung around her neck, her hair was a long brown flowing brown and was topped with a golden crown. She reminded Artemis of a goddess, like what she’d imagine a young Hero to look like. Artemis paused for a second, shocked, before curtseying low “Your majesty.”

The queen smiled “Rise, stranger.” She gestured with her hand “I am Queen Andromeda, welcome.”

“Your Majesty, my name is Artemis, thank you for the welcome.”

A soldier entered the hall and whispered something in the Queen's ear, the new must have been troubling because she frowned. For a moment Artemis worried it was about her but then she waved him off with a quick "There is nothing that can be done about that now, continue to monitor the situation." before turning to Artemis and looking her up and down, at her strangely long hair and the black and red boots she was still wearing. Even if she had forgone the rest of her outfit, Artemis would never pass up sensible footwear and Greek sandals were simply not it. “Tell me Artemis, has a goddess of Olympus graced my halls? And if so which one? Your name is Artemis, like the huntress and yet there is something in your eyes that tell me you’ve known what it means to love someone and to have lost it.”

Artemis looked away at that last comment, even thinking about the love she had lost made her heart hurt, “I assure you, your highness, I am no goddess. I am simply a stranger, lost. I come to you as a suppliant asking for help. I am a god-fearing woman and you can see I mean no harm to you or your kingdom.”

“Have no fear, put every anxious thought out of your hearts, you are no longer a stranger, but my honoured guest. I shall prepare a feast in your honour to thank Hermes, the god of travellers, for bringing you to our gates of all the gates in Greece and there you can tell me your story, tell us how is it you came to me here alone.”


	2. Book II: The Fall of Bana-Mighdall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artemis tells her story to the queen, it hurts her heart but she knows that having a good host won't save her from being thrown out if she's a bad guest. The queen wants entertainment, so she'll entertain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically ripped from book two of The Aeneid. This is like the part where Aeneas tells Queen Dido about the fall of Troy. In this chapter, we learn about the fall of Artemis.
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
The Things We Lost In The Fire by Bastille  
and  
Pompeii by Bastille (Jasmine Thompson cover)

“I was not always alone.” Artemis started. “I’ve only ever told parts of this story before, and only to one person.” Her mind flashed back to a dirty and beat up bar in Gotham, her and Jason sitting on the high stalls at the bar, sipping on alcohol and talking about their childhoods, “I am not one to cry but what happened to my home could bring anyone to tears, even the greatest warriors of Greece would be devastated beyond comfort. I come from a city called Bana-Mighdall, we were protected from the outside world by a giant sandstorm put there by our gods and we... acknowledged your gods but we also had another Pantheon that protected us… only they abandoned us too.

I never believed they had left us, not for a long time, I prayed to them every day and night and I trained to become worthy of the title of champion of my people, a position chosen by the gods. We had once been a great city and I believed that we could be great again I believed I could do that for us, if given the chance, but despite my piety and despite my hard work the gods chose someone else.

Her name was Akila. She was my best friend, my greatest love and yet she became my greatest enemy. She had long since lost hope in the gods and scoffed at the idea of our champion but I never questioned their decision. I’d always known deep down that they would choose her, I may have tried harder but she had always been the better warrior. I’d told her as much and she had once promised me that no matter who became the Champion we would face it as we had faced everything else in our lives, together. She promised.

When she was chosen she went missing and I searched the desert for her for weeks, when I finally found her she was sick and feverish, and I nursed her back to health. She never did tell me what had happened but I knew, she apologised to me.

We grew apart after that. We never officially ended our relationship. I would stop by her house everyday like I had done, invite her to spar with me like we had always, try to eat our meals together but she was always too busy and on the few occasions when we were together, she was distracted. I still loved her but she had long since moved on, I was still trying to honour the promise she had made me even though it wasn’t mine to honour and it was so painful to see my one life goal achieved by someone who had never wanted it in the first place, so I moved to the outer rim of my city where I wouldn’t have to look at her living my dream without me at her side.

That was my first mistake, I should have been there protecting my city but I wasn’t. The Champion of Bana-Mighdall the so called Shim’Tar, upon their appointment they get a weapon of immense power from the gods, the Bow of Ra, it drove her insane with power, she was consumed by this fury, she thought it was a righteous fury, but she wanted to destroy the whole city.

I rushed back to find my home in flames, she was burning it to the ground when she was supposed to protect us and people were dying! I tried to talk her down but she wouldn’t listen, it was like she couldn’t hear me, I pleaded with her to stop as she approached me but she wouldn’t.

Eventually a warrior from our… sister city, Princess Diana, she came to put a stop to the fires and she saw what was happening and she said to me “In an effort to save her people -- she nearly killed them all!”.

I had heard a lot of the Princess of our sister city, often times they thought themselves above us, the still followed your gods and we were looked down upon for adopting a new Pantheon. She was their Champion though, she was everything I wanted to be and could never achieve and in a moment when the love of my life was razing my home I did something I was not proud of, I tried to fight her, I told her to leave that it was a matter of sovereignty, we didn’t need them interfering in our affairs. She grabbed my arm and reminded me of what we were supposed to be doing she stopped me with one word “Enough.”

Akila had gone completely mad she spoke in harsh whispers that I could hear even over the crackling flames and the sound of a city being destroyed “Don’t you see Artemis?” She spoke to me like she remembered what we once were, like she thought I would agree with her “The only way to preserve everything we stand for -- everything we believe in -- is by purifying it all in the flame of Ra! Ra was there in the beginning and he will be here now in the end!”

I tried to convince her what she was doing was insanity but Diana she had no prior bias, no heart to break when the truth came out, she said “That is no longer your friend.” She gave me a choice “Whatever she was to you -- that is no more. You must choose -- stand with this empty vessel or stand with me.”

I did the only thing I could do to stop her. People with that kind of power, they don’t give it up, not ever and I held her as she died like I had a long time before. And I apologised to her and she told me the gods had been wrong. She was never the Shim’Tar… she said it was always me. And in a way she was right, it had been me who had protected the city, me who had brought our people back from the brink of destruction but sometimes I think what if I had stayed in the city, what if I had tried harder to be with her, what if I could have talked her down.”

Andromeda finally interrupted “It sounds like you did the only thing you could do, you saved your city, that’s more than most. But I still don’t understand how that brought you here?”

“Unfortunately that’s not the end of my story. After I helped get everyone back on their feet I left the city completely and moved to a far away land called America. It’s very different from anything you’d have seen, they have great large structures they call ‘skyscrapers’ that reach so far up into the sky you wonder how it doesn’t fall down and crush those below and everything is made of glass so when it’s sunny the cities glitter and shine like the night sky.

The cities are beautiful but the people in America aren’t as kind and welcoming as the people are here, if you don’t have money no one will help you, they will leave you to sleep on the streets your whole life before anyone lifted a finger to help and so in order to get food and money I used the only skill I had that they valued. I became a warrior for hire, only the people in America who need warriors for hire are never good people, for a time this is what I did even as it ate me up inside, until one day I realised that the Bow of Ra hadn’t been taken back by the gods like I had assumed but instead had been stolen. I stopped then, I returned to my original mission I would find and possess the Bow no matter what. And I searched for a year to no avail until I came to a City called Gotham. I came across one of it’s heroes who went by the name Red Hood, he was looking for something too, a weapon and so we… teamed up to find it. He found his weapon, it was a warrior with the strength of 20 men and the height of a bulwark and they had him trapped, they were trying to bend him to their own will, like I said before, those who hire warriors are never good people. The three of us worked together to defeat this evil man and we decided to become a team and we were a good one at that.”

Artemis smiled to herself, just thinking about her days as an outlaw.

“We finally located the Bow of Ra and it was exactly where it had always been, in Bana-Mighdall. We went there together but then we were separated and there I found none other than Akila. She claimed our enemies, the forces of Quarac, had tried to fix the Bow of Ra to use against us and in the course of their dark magics had brought her back too, she claimed Quaraci soldiers were coming to destroy our home once again and I had to once again take up arms in the defence of the city I loved. It was Akila so of course I believed her.

It was only when I was reunited with Bizarro and Red Hood did Veritas bless us with the Truth. I had been taken a fool, the Bow of Ra was in Akila’s possession not Quarac’s and she was still under it’s mad influence. She planned to wipe the earth of anyone not of Bana origin and she would kill me too if I stood in her way and so once again I had to end the life of the love of my life in order to save everyone. I took hold of the Bow of Ra and it did not destroy me like it would anyone else but the gods did not appear to me, they did not tell me I was Shim’Tar, they did not revoke the title from Akila, they did nothing.

I returned to Gotham with the bow and continued my new life as a hero in America, we built a new stronghold for us to live in.

I had the Bow of Ra and I had my new friends but alas my misery was not over yet, in the midst of my questing with my team, my sister, dearest Diana, a hero in her city and in the world famous for her compassion and for her strength, found me and recruited me for an adventure of our own.

One of my city’s great heroes, Atalanta, and Diana’s aunt had been away for a long time fighting to keep a demon contained but it was starting to tear a victory from her tired and battle worn grasp. Diana recruited myself and a new hero, Aztec, to defeat it once and for all. I tried to use the bow of Ra on the beast but it almost burned me alive in the process, the only way we could use it was by sharing its power between our sacred trio. We went our separate way from Aztek and our new triad of Diana, Atalanta and myself, returned to my home of Bana-Mighdall where I had not been since I had lost my love for the second time.

When we got there, my sisters were gearing up for a war, our new Queen, Queen Faruka II, was declaring war with Quarac. She had information from a Quaraci rebel named Rustam, he was a weasel if I had ever seen one, and Diana told me as much but Faruka was my queen and who was I to disobey the women my people had chosen to follow? She told me to prepare for war but Diana insisted they stand down. Rustam used his own divine weapon of fire to blast my dear sister out of the palace and when the great Atalanta protested this treatment of her niece she was hit in the head from behind by our cowardly queen and wrongfully imprisoned.

And yet still I obeyed. I made it all the way to the front lines, all the way to charging at the enemy and locking them in vicious battle with my battle axe before Diana found me in the fray and reminded me that the war I was fighting was not a righteous one. I turned to fight Rustam, who had lied to us all, but he destroyed the Bow of Ra like it was nothing and he laughed in my face. Thankfully Diana and I managed to get everyone to lay their arms down and put an end to the fighting and although no one would dethrone their Queen, Atalanta became her top advisor, hopefully to temper her tyranny.

I returned to the floating castle of Gotham but it was constructed of magics the builder didn't fully understand. This castle was  _ filled  _ with magic and at first it had been wondrous but then the magic turned dark, Bizarro had done something wrong when the spells were being cast and it only manifested itself weeks later. It threatened to destroy half the city if not more and as he had been the one to mess it up, Bizarro vowed to make it right.

There was a... spell... a spell of displacement that could transport something from one place to another in an instant and rather than have the castle destroy the city, he thought he could just displace the castle by expanding the spell. Only in order to do this he had to go too. I know what it’s like to be alone in a strange place and he wouldn’t have the knowledge on how to get back, he was a warrior not a mage so I came through with him. We must have gotten separated because I landed in this place in the middle of an Olive Grove and he was nowhere to be seen.

I was greeted outside your gates by some kind citizens, simple farmers who gave me clothes and food and shelter from the elements and gave me dyed gifts and took me all this way to the gates of your city, I will remember their kindness always.”


	3. Book III: Lions and Prayers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her rest came to her with difficulty despite how tired she was. She was bone tired but she was also worried. Worried about living in this strange world, worried about where Bizarro could possibly be, worried about this woman's brother who could be killed by a monster within the city, Worried about how she would get back.  
When she did finally fall into a troubled sleep, she dreamt.
> 
> _Akila was standing before her._
> 
> _She was translucent and see through like a ghost, her form seemed to shimmer and sway as if it was not quite there but that didn’t make the harsh scarring all up the left side of her face and body any less stark. _
> 
> _Artemis settles into Greek life and gets hints about her fate from old friends and new._  
All the wounds of their first fight were still there, her fingers were still black from where the fires of the Bow of Ra had singed them in the second. It was a stark reminder of everything she had done to Bana, to Artemis, but that didn’t stop Artemis’ heart from lurching in her chest when she reached out a scarred hand to her and spoke “My beloved.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
LION by (G)I-DLE  
and  
Take Me To Church by Hozier

The Queen had been moved by her plight and had welcomed Artemis into the palace, giving her a room to stay in and a maid to attend to her as was the custom in their city.

It was an odd sensation to have closed your eyes in 21st century Gotham and wake up in an Ancient Greece, she'd spent her life reading about the great cities of old, Athens, Sparta and Actium; and now she was in one.

She still didn't know if she was in the past of her own dimension or if she was in a completely different one altogether. She'd never heard of Thálassa but a lot of cities had been destroyed and had crumbled into the forgotten parts of history, for goddess' sake most of man's world couldn't even prove if Troy was real when her own ancestors had fought in the war that had led to their doom. Her own ancestors had gone head to head with Achilles and Penthesilea had lost, but she had lost bravely facing the greatest warrior known by the Greeks.

The room she was given was quite grand for a guest room, but it was in a palace so it was to be expected. As the maid ushered her in she quietly added “Lady Artemis,” the familiar name made a pang of hurt go through her heart, that’s what the warriors of Bana-Mighdall called her, “I couldn't help but overhear your story to the queen. You are a warrior?”

“Indeed, I was a general in my Queen's army.”

“My dear brother, he lives on a farm on the south side of the city. He says there is a beast there killing their livestock and just yesterday I got word that it's killed a _ person _. Things in the city are already tense enough without civilians dying too.”

Artemis latched onto the mission, missions gave her a purpose, a mission meant she had something to do while she failed to figure out where the hell they were. She’d never understood smart Bizarro’s mumbo-jumbo, she was smart but she wasn’t a genius, dimensional travel was not her forté. “You're worried for your brother’s safety?”

“I am! He can't leave the farm not with our family’s land and his animals there, he wouldn't anyway, but there is a_ monster _ in the city and no one is doing anything about it! If he doesn’t leave he’s sure to die, he is the last family known to me.”

Artemis thought for a second, if there really was a beast in the city, she couldn't leave it to roam. It had killed a person before and it had killed it would kill again, that would be on her if she stood by and did nothing.

“And without him you have no claim to the land.”

“I have no husband, no sons, no nephews.” She shrugged helplessly.

“But you have a queen-!”

“Exactly! Our neighbours to the South are already agitated by the mere presence of a high powered woman, we can’t risk offending our neighbours to the East too by giving women property rights. People would riot!”

Artemis sighed, she wasn’t happy about it but she understood. She didn’t know who their neighbouring cities were but if anything bad happened in any of them they would be sure to blame Queen Andromeda for polluting the area by being a woman in charge. It seemed ridiculous but the Greeks loved their scapegoats and they hated lone queens. Besides she would likely be leaving soon, it wouldn’t do to stir up too much trouble here when they’d been so kind. “When you go back to your room tonight, draw me a map to where the beast is and give it to me tomorrow morning.” She thought about walking through town in her black and red armour, it would certainly put the fear of a goddess in them all but it wouldn't exactly blend in, “And if you could get me some armour too please?”

“Of course, what weapon would you like?”

“Oh, no weapon. Just the armour.”

She looked confused at that, glancing around at her as if she had a sword hidden under her robe (which was technically true only so much as she could pull a sword from the thin air under her robe) but she didn't question it “Yes Lady Artemis, thank you.”

“Don't thank me yet. I still need to find it.”

Her rest came to her with difficulty despite how tired she was. She was bone tired but she was also worried. Worried about living in this strange world, worried about where Bizarro could possibly be, worried about this woman's brother who could be killed by a monster within the city, Worried about how she would get back. When she did finally fall into a troubled sleep, she dreamt.

_ Akila was standing before her. _

_ She was translucent and see through like a ghost, her form seemed to shimmer and sway as if it was not quite there but that didn’t make the harsh scarring all up the left side of her face and body any less stark. _

_ All the wounds of their first fight were still there, her fingers were still black from where the fires of the Bow of Ra had singed them in the second. It was a stark reminder of everything she had done to Bana, to Artemis, but that didn’t stop Artemis’ heart from lurching in her chest when she reached out a scarred hand to her and spoke “My beloved.” _

_ “Akila!?” Most of Artemis’ dreams that involved Akila were nightmares, the crazed rant she had made about wiping the migrants from the face of the earth, the fire reflected in her eyes as Bana-Mighdall was razed to the ground, the urbicide she had induced. Now when she looked in her eyes she saw none of that, she saw how she had looked at her when they were 16 sparring in the rundown amphitheatre and flirting like children; she looked at her the same way she had when she’d first been chosen for Shim’Tar and Artemis had nursed her back to full strength, like she had hung the moon and the stars in the sky, like she was the goddess Artemis herself. Artemis reached out her hand in return to hold her after so long but she was but a spectre of her former self and her hand went right through her like she wasn’t even there. Artemis tried again and failed once more, her face scrunching up at the unfairness of it all, she finally gets to see her love again and she can’t even hold her. _

_ “I’m sorry, I should have seen that coming.” _

_ “Akila, why are you here? I’ve missed you.” She asked softly. _

_ “I have a message for you, or maybe more of a warning. You were brought here, to this place, for a reason Artemis, by the gods.” _

_ “The gods did this? Why!?” _

_ “You have a great fate ahead of you and a long journey and you’ll need to learn certain skills in order to fulfil it. The gods, in all their wisdom, have finally revealed to me why they chose me as Shim’Tar instead of you all those years ago, they told me why your journey to this point has been so arduous and why you were born to be Our Champion.” _

_ “If I was born to be the champion why not just name me the champion!? Why do all this? And how can I be Shim’Tar when the Bow of Ra is _ ** _destroyed_ ** _ ? I _ ** _lost_ ** _ it Akila, after everything we went through to get it it was destroyed in a second by a second rate-” _

_ Akila reached out to silence her “Hush now Artemis. The Bow of Ra is a weapon of the gods, it’s never truly gone. Now you have a difficult journey ahead, you must call for a quest.” _

_ “A quest? What quest?” _

_ Akila smiled like she knew a secret that Artemis didn’t “First slay your beast, then get a prophecy. You were made for great things and you have great things ahead of you and I’m sorry I won’t be by your side when you do them like I promised I would be. You’ll do things I never could have done, things that will immortalised you in the halls of amazons and men for eons to come. They’ll sing about you in the Elysian Fields.” _

_ “I don’t want to be immortalised! I don’t want songs and praises and glory! I would live in obscurity and poverty if you were here with me, Akila I want you.” _

_ “I know you would, and I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise but you were made with a higher purpose, a purpose that doesn’t include me.” _

_ “Why me?” Artemis all but whispered. _

_ “I know you think you lost your way as a mercenary, as an Outlaw and as a common soldier for a tyrant Queen but it’s made you who you need to be in order to see your Fate through. You are the custodian of our culture, you are the personification of what it means to be from Bana-Mighdall. You’re tough and you’re always spoiling for a fight but you would never raise a hand against someone unless they deserved it. You have a code, something Faruka has clearly forgotten, something I lost sight of in my Bow stricken madness.” _

_ “I don’t want a great Fate! I don’t want to be custodian and I’ve long since given up on being Shim’Tar. Right now I just need to find Bizarro and get back home to my semi-regular super hero life and my Jay- Jason.” _

_ “Ah yes… him.” She turned up her lip slightly. _

_ “Are you mad at me?” Artemis asked, looking away. _

_ “No I’m not mad. I’m dead, I’m glad you’ve moved on.” Akila reached out her hand as if to place it on her cheek but stopped before they could be reminded of their limitations, “People shouldn’t hold onto ghosts.” _

_ “I just want to go back home.” _

_ “It’s the will of the gods Artemis, who are we to argue with the gods?” _

_ “You used to argue with the gods all the time! You used to yell up into the sky and dare them to do something! I was steadfast in my belief that they hadn’t abandoned us, but look what’s happened; you died Akila! You died and the city burnt to the ground, not once but three times at this point. Faruka is Queen and she’s hell bent on a war that Quarac is obliged to give! The peace is barely keeping even with Atalanta there. Bana-Mighdall is dying, it’s fallen, you were right! It is a failed city-state hidden behind a sandstorm and forced into obscurity!” _

_ “I was _ ** _wrong_ ** _ Artemis, you were right. _ **Bana-Mighdall will rise again** _ .” Akila smiled fondly at her one last time before she started to fade away. _

“_ Akila! Akila, wait no don't leave me again! Please not yet! I’m not ready!” _

_ “You’re not ready for your Fate yet, but you will be.” _

“Don’t go!” Artemis sat up suddenly for the second time in two days, a single tear falling from her eye. Had that really been the shade of Akila or had it just been a bad dream? She had warned her of a fate. Of hard tasks that no one else could do. What did it all mean?

She moved through her morning routine like a zombie, her mind focused on Akila and its only once she was dressed and she stepped outside her room did she realise she had absolutely no idea where in the palace she was and no idea on where she was supposed to go.

She'd been in palaces before. Most had pretty similar layouts or at least a common way of navigation and this palace was no different. She managed to find the dining hall without help and when she reached it the servants were all in a flurry to get everything ready for the Queen and the other nobility.

The maid who had talked to her yesterday caught her eye from across the room and slipped her the map “Breakfast is still an hour away, if you go to the stables they should have an armour for you to try on.”

“Thank you.” She wasn’t entirely sure she would even go to breakfast, after her dream she didn’t want to have to deal with the Queen and her friends who would be dining at the palace too, she would have to explain herself to everyone and she just needed to think. Instead she decided that she would just let the day take her wherever it needed to, she might as well try on this armour, make sure it fit. It had been a while since she'd worn a traditional Greek armour.

Most of the armour for women was stamped with the mark of one goddess or another, usually Athena, it only made sense since she was the goddess of war, and was usually quiet plain but this armour was beautiful. It was a shimmering gold with intricate details in the breastplate.

On the left pec was the figure of the goddess Artemis with a stag by her side as was common for the huntress, she had her bow and arrow notched and drawn and was aiming at a point higher up that had the moon. Opposite her was her brother, the twin archer god of the sun, mirroring her pose, pointing his arrow at the sun with his sacred cows at his side. The middle of the plate was taken up by the built in 6 pack armour loved to have but down the left side were Persephone, the goddess of spring, with a pomegranate in her hand and a crown of the underworld on her head; and Hestia underneath, the goddess of the hearth, who sat next to a smoking fire tending to the flames. Below her was the goddess of love, Aphrodite, Cupid was at her feet and doves were flying around her hair as she stepped out of waves that covered the bottom of the armour. On the right side Hera, queen of the gods and goddess of Marriage was at the top looking extremely regal with a peacock on her lap, a staff and sceptre in her hands and a crown that looked like a bigger version of Persephone’s on her head. Nike, the goddess of victory with her great wings outstretched behind her and Demeter, the goddess of grain, were below holding stalks of wheat in her hands and looking up towards her daughter, Persephone.

Every Olympian goddess was detailed, all except Pallas Athena. “Why is the goddess of War not on this armour? Surely she would be the first one to pray to for a warrior such as this suit is made for.”

“This city is sacred to Poseidon, we would never honour his most hated enemy in this way.”

“Are you not scared of her divine retribution? Athena is the protectress of cities but she’s also the sacker of cities, it was by her will that Troy burned.”

“We know all too well how she destroys cities. We worship in her temple, as we do all the gods, but nothing more. We only do it to appease her.”

She’d forgotten how tricky the gods were. They hated being disrespected, if you honoured a god’s enemy they might get angry at you just for your piety. The gods want respect but they don’t always reward those that give it, like Aeneas of Troy, a man known for his piety, who was hounded by the gods, had his city destroyed, his father die, his unholy marriage ripped apart, cursed and beaten, dragged against his will to the shores of Italy just so he could found an ‘eternal’ Empire that fell like any other.

She had been trained in the art of putting on armour properly, if you didn’t it could get you killed in a battle so she had done drills, putting it on and taking it off over and over again in succession, it finally paid off.

As was only proper she started with her greaves, shin guards that would protect her legs from a direct attack from a blade or from whatever beast was wandering the city, then she put on the little battle skirt that even the men wore, she couldn’t imagine any of the heroes from her own day wearing these although with Jason’s thighs it would certainly suit him. She then moved onto her body armour; the brilliant shining breastplate that weighed quite a lot but was sure to protect her if the beast managed to pin her down and attempt a mauling. Her own armour wasn’t this hardy, it was built for flexibility and not so much for protection, it may sound like hubris but when you’re as good a warrior as she was, going on the offence had always been her best defence, no mortal was a physical match for her, the supers and metas were another story.

She buckled the chest-plate into place, pulling all the straps taut and tested her arm mobility quickly before she was handed her sheath “I was told you didn’t want weapons?” he asked her confused as she strapped it to her belt.

“I have my own.” Lastly she was handed a shield and helmet. These old Greek helmets might limit her vision and her movement but she still didn’t know what she was up against so she strapped the shield to her forearm and placed the hemet on her head, pulling her ponytail through the crest where the plumes usually sat.

At home she’d had a modified helmet although she often didn’t wear it, she’d long ago switched it out for more streamlined head gear that matched her black and red look.

She thanked him once again for all his help before heading into the main city. She hadn’t particularly wanted to sit with the queen and have breakfast and a wild beast roaming the city was a pretty good excuse not to. The palace was of course on the top of a hill so it was an easy walk down to the main square where she could easily follow the map until she reached the correct part of town. Her armour attracted so many stares she might as well have worn her regular armour to the same affect, so much for blending in. 

It was only as she looked around at all the farms and houses that she realised she had not asked the maid her name, nor the name of her brother and she had absolutely no idea who she was looking for, which was a rookie mistake on her part, clearly she had been distracted by the whole almost time travel situation. She stopped a group of women walking around the gardens and chatting “Excuse me, do you know of a farmer whose sister works in the palace?”

Even with a queen in charge, and women’s armour just a day’s notice away this was still an ancient society and women’s roles were still very limited so of course they made it a business to know their neighbours, which of course was just a polite way to say they gossiped. They all pointed in the same direction and one answered, “You speak of Dios, his farm is just up there.”

“Thank you.”

She found him pretty easily after that, with a beast killing their animals all the farmers had taken to standing watch together with spears and swords ready “Dios?”

“Yes, that is I.” A tall brunette man, spoke from the gaggle of farmers stepping towards her a bit awestruck at her armour.

“Your sister says that there is a beast on the loose, that it has been killing your livestock.”

“You know my sister?”

“I was a guest in the palace last night.” They all looked a bit shocked by that, a few started whispering to each other asking if she was royalty or divine and if they should bow. “I am not royalty or a goddess, simply a stranger who has known the kindness of your queen.” She took out her map “Mark the areas where the beast has struck, I intend to track it down.”

All the farmers were only too happy to comply, marking down the areas in there own farms where their stock had been killed, the one woman who whilst was armed with a spear, was also handing out drinks to the men pointed to a spot on the map, “My name is Cassandra. My husband was killed here 3 days ago.”

Artemis bowed her head “My condolences, I’m sorry for your loss. Did you have children?”

“All daughters.” She replied sadly.

“Teach them well, they have a farm to inherit.”

Cassandra seemed shocked by Artemis’ response, she probably expected more pity or sympathy. In most places women could not have individual wealth, they could not own their own land but Artemis vowed then and there to take up the matter with the Queen if this woman and her daughters couldn’t inherit the land that was their home. “I will.”

Artemis studied the map and drew her finger across all the marks the men had made, trying to make sense of them. They made a loose circle around a patch of forest but where the man had been killed was just outside of it “The beast is getting braver, I suspect it’s base is here,” she pointed to the centre “and it has been killing the animals directly around it but it’s venturing further away where she struck here” she pointed to where the woman’s husband had been killed “I need to move soon before it decided to move altogether. Which way to this forest?”

The forest ground was mostly flat, except for some overgrown roots that made the ground a bit uneven and made walking through it difficult because it lulled you into a false sense of security, giving the illusion of flat, when ostensibly the ground was nasty and gnarled. The trees blocked out a large portion of the sun so it was darker than it should have been, almost as dark as twilight, it was like Nyx had concentrated all her powers into this one forest in Greece.

In the solitude of the forest, she summoned her sword and stalked forward as quietly as she could manage. She would call Mistress later, her axe would be her surprise attack once she knew what she was dealing with.

She heard it before she saw it.

A low growling sound like she was the one being hunted and not the other way around.

She tried to focus in on where it was coming on but the trees created an echo that made sound hard to trace. She turned slowly, holding her sword ready to strike and watching the ground below her. The grass wasn’t particularly tall but somehow the beast was remaining out of sight.

It pounced at her as quick as lightning, it was only by her amazonian speed granted by the gods that she managed to block it, but she finally managed to get a good look at it. It was a lion only not, it was a huge hulking lion, bigger than she had ever seen before, it’s fur was a beautiful gold that rivalled her own armour and it’s mane looked like it had been combed through, it was silky smooth and the rays of sun that shone through the trees reflected off of the lion like it was a gem. It was beautiful.

Usually Artemis wouldn’t kill a noble beast such as a lion, she certainly wouldn’t in the wild but this lion had found a way into the gated city passed its defensive walls and it had killed someone. If she let it go who’s to say it wouldn’t come back or even kill the people who lived outside the urban city centre. As majestic as the beast was, it had to die and so Artemis swung her sword and tried to make it quick and painless.

Her sword bounced off the lion uselessly, and Artemis hissed as her wrists protested the impact, she had been expecting follow through, instead she had hit it like a brick wall. Her eyes widened in realisation as the lion almost seemed to laugh at her as if it knew she had finally gotten a clue. “The Nemean Lion.” she whispered to herself in horror.

The Nemean Lion had invulnerable skin and fur that couldn’t be damaged and she thought it had been killed by Heracles, not to mention it was supposed to be in Nemea. The lion had been in these woods for days if not weeks which means it had the advantage, she needed to get to more open grounds. If she was remembering correctly it could not be killed by mortal weapons nor could it be killed through its skin but she had 3 weapons with godly powers, her sword, her axe and the magic bow she had used before possessing the Bow of Ra. She took one slow step back before pivoting and sprinting back the way she’d come. She needed open ground. Fast.

Heracles had strangled it to death which seemed quite excessive, Percy Jackson of course had simply shot a poison arrow in it’s mouth but who’s to say that strategy would work since it had never been tested on the actual lion and only in a work of children’s fiction. 

If only its fur was impervious, it made sense that attacking inside the mouth would hurt it but how was she supposed to do that? She came to the edge of the forest and shouted a warning to the farmers to move away. They scattered like sheep without a sheep dog and when there was a wide, clear circle around her, she spun around and faced the lion once again. 

She didn’t have poison, there was no water close to drown it and if its claws were as sharp as they were rumoured to be she would never get close enough to strangle it before it ripped her and her nice armour to shreds.

The lion crouched low and pounced high while Artemis slid underneath it, still trying to think of a surefire plan. She called for her axe “Mistress to me!” and the light of the gods, momentarily stunned the beast and it roared in annoyance, a moment later she called for her bow and shot at the lion’s mouth. The arrow was true and hit its target, sticking in and causing the lion to thrash around and try to remove the foreign object in its mouth, causing pain but it wasn’t enough to end it’s life “Sorry big boy.” She winced, hunting was an amazonian pass time but it had always struck her as cruel when the animals had been on the land first.

“Men!” she called to the wary farmers, “Do any of you have poison?” 

“I do!” Dios yelled back and ran to where it was stored as quickly as he could.

She kept the lion at bay with her axe until he returned and threw her a vial of black and gory poison. She caught it with ease, her plan coming together on the spot. 

She did something she’d never done before, she sent her weapons back to the world between worlds where they were stored and then called them all back at the exact same time “MISTRESS TO ME!” The resulting explosion of light had everyone watching the fight momentarily blinded including the lion but Artemis had long grown used to the flash of her own weapons and while the lion was distracted she leapt forward, opened the vile and tossed the black liquid down it’s vulnerable throat which was being held partially open by her arrow.

As the beast died Artemis knelt by its side and put a hand on its shoulder “May the goddess Persephone bless your journey into the afterlife and may Artemis look after this noble creature.” She then held out three of her fingers in a claw and pushed out from her chest, it was a symbol that would ward away demons and grant it a safe journey. She took another moment to pray for the lion she had killed before standing up and turning to the now growing crowd. 

One of the farmers stared at her, jaw unhinged “Are you certain you’re not a goddess?”

“I’m sure.” She said sheathing her sword and storing her bow away out of sight, “Now Dios and Cassandra. Help me get this back to the palace.” Dios nodded silently, still quite shocked and ran to get his horse and carriage. Cassandra ran for the hunting ropes, that the men used to tie stags when transporting.

They all hoisted the mighty lion’s carcass onto the carriage and tied it down securely. Artemis felt strangely like a southern stereotype, driving around with a dead animal on her truck. Only she hadn’t done this for sport or for glory, she had done this because this animal was killing people. Wasn’t that always her excuse for anything. People would die if she didn’t kill Akila, people would die if she didn’t stop the war, people would die if she didn’t become an Outlaw.

_ People would die if she didn’t. _

Akila had said she had a fate, she said a war was coming. Artemis didn’t want her god given mission, she wanted to spite the deities who had abandoned her but what if like most things people would die if she didn’t?

Artemis loaded her two new acquaintances into the carriage and asked Dios to drive them to the palace, he might be able to visit his sister while they were there, on the way she grilled them both about the laws of their city, “Tell me Cassandra can women own property in this city?”

“Technically yes but we need a special permission, we have an unmarried woman as our monarch amongst other things, Andromeda doesn’t want to rock the boat too much in this area, we’re too close to the Amazons for that.”

Artemis jerked, “The Amazons? The Amazons are near here?”

“They are. Just one week's riding due South.”

“Do you know much about them?” Artemis asked, wondering what the amazons were like here.

“Their leader is a Queen named Hippolyte, she has several sisters. Antiope, Atalanta, the late Penthesilea amongst others.”

“Does she have a daughter?”

Cassandra frowned, confused, “A daughter?”

Dios laughed, “How do you expect children from a land of only women?”

“Hera did it.”

“Hera is a goddess.” Dios pointed out before grumbling quietly, “And Hera regretted it.”

She couldn’t begrudge him this fact, Hera may be the goddess of family and marriage but she was as hypocritical as the rest of the gods, throwing her son from mount Olympus just because he wasn’t as pretty as she wanted. Typical. The Olympians were as superficial as they came, it was a problem with most Greeks, they focused so much on _arete_, physical perfection, that it made it difficult to make a sensible decision. “Still maybe they could receive a gift from the gods, a new amazon.”

Cassandra shook her head “It’s unlikely. The Amazons sided with the Trojans and the Trojans had very few gods on their side despite the fact that they’re so pious.”

Artemis nodded in agreement to end the conversation but it was clear if Diana was around no one had any idea. They still weren’t aware that the Amazons that had fought at Troy were Bana-Mighdall and not the Themyscira. Or maybe history played out differently in this universe, it would be impossible to tell unless she saw them and judging from what Dios had said, involving herself with the Amazons was not something she wanted to do if she wanted to remain on good terms with everyone else.

Word had already reached the queen and she and some of her advisors were waiting for their carriage at the palace gates, she greeted her warmly, “Word has reached me of your great deeds, taking down a beast that had killed one of my subjects.”

“I have, your majesty and as a thank you for the kindness you have shown to me I offer you this noble creature as an offering. It’s skin was as hard as iron, I believe it to be of the same stock as the legendary Nemean Lion.”

“You call it a noble beast, I call it a monster. What am I to do with a monster.”

“It’s a lion of legend!” Artemis retorted.

“It is the son of Typhon and Echidna, the mother of monsters!”

“Some say that yes, but some say it is the son of our lord father Zeus and Selene. This lion is a wild animal when it killed it did not do so out of malice like so many monsters do, it did what it was born to do, to hunt and get food and survive. Its own survival could not exist in this city and so I did what I had to but its life should not be wasted.”

Andromeda nodded in agreement, “You’re right, monster or not it will make a fine sacrifice to the gods.” She turned to one of her ladies in waiting “Gather the priestesses of Poseidon. Tell them to prepare a heifer and this lion.”

“Yes my Queen.” The woman left their group to find the priestesses.

Amongst the group was Dios’ sister, the women who had told Artemis about the lion in the first place, she sent her a grateful smile and Artemis replied with a nod of understanding “Oh your highness there is one more thing I wish to discuss with you. This is Cassandra, her husband was the farmer who was killed by the lion, she has only 3 daughters.”

Andromeda's eyes lit up with understanding “And she wants a land owners exemption.”

“If you would be so kind.” Cassandra replied, head bowed low.

“Raise your head fair lady. How do you and your daughters intend to keep the farm running at the same quality?”

“We still have all the same employees and the girls and I have been working on the farm for years anyway. We know exactly how it runs.”

The Queen thought about it for a moment looking over at Dios “You, you are her neighbour?”

“I am.”

“What say you about this matter?”

“Cassandra is good at what she does, she’s pitched many successful ideas at our farmers' guild meetings and I don’t think any of the others would oppose her being able to remain in charge of their family farm.”

“Then it is granted. The last thing I need is an uprising of farmers indignant about not inheriting land that isn’t theirs to inherit.” She turned around and started walking off in a direction and as if pulled by some invisible string her entire entourage moved with her, even without a word of warning. Dios, Cassandra and Artemis followed behind and a group of soldiers brought the lion down from the carriage and followed behind them. They moved like a procession through the city to the Temple of Poseidon, and the whole way there people stopped what they were doing to stare at the Queen and at the lion. 

The bull joined the procession as was traditional and joined them as they walked to the altar outside of the Temple. The bull had been washed and cleaned and there was water outside the Temple for all the people to do the same. Praying to the gods when covered in filth was improper and a sure way to disrespect the gods. It was covered in flowers and garlands and had its horns wrapped in fine red ceremonial ribbons and adorned with gold, the lion’s forehead was wrapped the same and both were stood/laid near the altar. Both had unmixed wine poured on them as part of the sacrifice and everyone bowed their heads in unison. 

The crowd that had gathered sprinkled water and barley seeds onto the bull, making them direct participants in this sacrifice to the gods. The head priestess recited a prayer before leading the bull forward and pulled out a sharp blade, “Oh Poseidon, please accept this offering as a show of our gratitude to the great generosity you have shown in protecting our city, please continue to protect us from our enemies at land and at sea and keep our city thriving. We pray for the health of the queen, long may she reign, and may you bring this city good Fortune in the coming years.” First, she hit it hard in the head with the back of an axe to stun it so it didn’t feel as much pain, before slitting its throat quickly and efficiently. Another priestess came forward and filled a chalice with its blood, they sang praises to Poseidon as they did so.

The bull protested softly as they often did but that did not deter the rest of the ceremony as it quickly became silent and lay its head down which was a good omen. Once it was dead they started cutting. Artemis wasn’t squeamish and she was no stranger to where her food came from, she didn’t flinch, which was lucky since no one else did either, common as this was. The liver and entrails were pulled out and inspected and everyone waited with bated breath to hear the priestess’ message “This sacrifice has been accepted by the gods!”

Everyone let out a sigh of relief and the priestess continued with her cuttings. They cut out the thigh bone and wrapped it in fat and laid it on a tripod to burn for the gods. They lived on the smoke the fat gave off. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and the head priestess wafted it up to the gods. Next she took the chalice of blood and holding it in her left hand she poured it into a shallow bowl and took a sip of its blood. She spattered some on the altar before pouring it over the burning thigh bone along side some wine.

The heart usually went to the greatest warrior and so it was offered to Artemis who had brought down the lion. Artemis took the still bleeding heart in her hands and bit it, it didn’t taste the best raw and unseasoned but it was the highest honour she could receive and she would be a fool to scoff at it. Queen Andromeda was offered the next best part, the liver, and someone else high up the lungs before the rest was divided up and cooked and seasoned over a great spit and shared out to the whole community. A similar thing was done with the lion only its skin was saved and cured and the rest of it was burnt for the gods, lion certainly wasn’t a common Greek delicacy. 

As they all ate the priestesses watched the smoke of the thigh bone waft into the air and read it for divinations “The newcomer,” the augur started “the newcomer has caught the eyes of the Fates.”

Artemis looked at them “I have?”

“You have a quest to complete, a friend to find and a home to return to.”

Artemis’s eyes widened, she’d always believed that the augurs and the priestesses were fakes and scammers, if the gods wanted to give a message they would appear before them and speak but somehow they had known when they had not been present when she had told her story. Maybe someone had told them? In the ancient world stories were the only entertainment it wouldn’t be impossible for the rumour to spread like a bird flying between the land and sky over the city. “What quest?”

“You must see the Oracle at Delphi for a prophecy. Our sacred god Poseidon favours you and wants to help you but you have angered the goddess most righteous.”

“Angered a goddess? What goddess? How?” Artemis demanded.

“A tree?” The priestess replied, “I don’t understand.” She frowned “The gods simply say a tree.”

Artemis gasped “I landed in a tree in a grove of olive trees and one was destroyed!”

Andromeda gasped “If you angered a goddess by destroying an olive tree then you must have angered Athena, goddess of War and Wisdom and Poseidon’s sworn rival.”

“I meant no disrespect, she must see that! I fell!”

“Athena may be wise but she is not known for being reasonable. You destroyed a tree in her sacred grove, she will not be happy. But the gods have called you on a quest, what say you?”

Artemis sighed “If it means finding my friend, I suppose I must- and obeying the gods of course. How far is it to Delphi?”


	4. Book IV: The Oracle of Dodona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Oracle looked exactly as she had been described in the historical records, an older woman maybe in her 50s, dressed in fine red robes, covered modestly and sat on a tripod stool over the gaping hole in the ground. Artemis could see the fumes of the noxious gasses leaving the ground, she could smell them too, they smelt sweet, like sugar. She looked exactly like she had been taught but when she opened her mouth to prophecise it wasn’t mad ravings of a drugged woman that came out. Green smoke bellowed out of her mouth, her eyes glowed green and they seemed to see right into her soul.
> 
> “By the goddess!”
> 
> “I am powerful but I am no goddess. I am the Oracle of Dodona."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please be advised that the Prophecy that appears here today is subject to changes and editing to make it better or to change it completely if that happens I'll make an announcement.**
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
Two Weeks by FKA Twigs  
and  
Seraphin by Echos

The Queen had given her a boat and a team and set her sail to Dodona where she could consult with the Oracle. She felt ridiculous. She’d studied the Oracles at Delphi and Dodona and the Sibyl at Cumae, they were women who sat above fissures in the ground spouting hallucinogenic gasses and raved while her corrupt priests ‘translated’ for her. It was utterly ridiculous how reliant Greeks were on a mad woman, it certainly didn’t help her mood that the Oracle always went by the name Pythia, which was the name of Artemis’ ancestor who was used as a scapegoat by Man’s World and almost killed.

She couldn’t turn down the trip after the priestess had told them all it was a message from the gods but she doubted a woman high as a kite would be able to add some much needed information, nor would the priests be able to say anything other than vague generalities that would never truly be wrong.

  
  


Artemis got the shock of her life when she finally spoke to the Oracle. Dodana itself was beautiful, there was a large oak tree that blew in the wind and when the leaves rustled it almost sounded like whispering, under the tree was a spring which was said to be the spring of Naios, the naiad, which was impossibly clear. Around the oracle they had set up a ring of objects that almost looked liked bronze tripod only that was not their intended use, they all touch each other and when one was hit, the all hummed with vibrations letting off sounds that sounded like the mumblings of a god. In the tree a flock of black doves stood and chattered between them. The grass around them was luscious and green and the temple dedicated to this place a few metres away was a feat of beauty and architecture as most things were when dedicated to the gods.

The Oracle _ looked _ exactly as she had been described in the historical records, an older woman maybe in her 50s, dressed in fine red robes, covered modestly and sat on a tripod stool over the gaping hole in the ground. Artemis could see the fumes of the noxious gasses leaving the ground, she could smell them too, they smelt sweet, like sugar. She looked exactly like she had been taught but when she opened her mouth to prophecise it wasn’t mad ravings of a drugged woman that came out. Green smoke bellowed out of her mouth, her eyes glowed green and they seemed to see right into her soul.

“By the goddess!”

“I am powerful but I am no goddess. I am the Oracle of Dodona, chosen mouthpiece of Zeus Naios, god of god, king of kings, god of the thunder, the lightning and the sky, and controller of mortal fates. Approach child. Speak.”

Artemis stared at the scene for a moment before she was startled back into movement by her ship’s captain, clearly this was another powerful women who history had character assassinated, “I- I am Artemis Grace, not of this world. I wish to find my friend and find a way back home.”

The Oracle paused for a second and the green smoke seemed to wrap all around Artemis and almost choke her in its fumes, they wrapped her up like a blanket and hugged her like a bear hugged a woman; she could hardly breath. The smoke seemed to claw its way down Artemis’ throat, into her nose, making her eyes water and her heart hammer in her chest. The ringing and humming of the bronze instruments all around her suddenly sounded extremely loud in her ears, the rustling of the oak tree drowned out any chattering of the crowd that had come to consult the oracle, the bird and the smoke were the only thing in her vision, it was like she had gone blind except the black doves that seemed to be staring at her, speaking even. She felt overwhelmed by the oracle’s power, she felt small before the mouthpiece of the king of the gods, the green fog drowned her, buried her underneath it all and a voice come from somewhere on the other side.

_ “Sail the seas and feel the Sky King’s rage _

_ Go to the palace where Spring meets men’s Fate _

_ Lay in the dirt and kneel at death’s gate _

_ Make a promise with a foe _

_ Fight with a friend, a super clone _

_ Lose a home that was not like before _

_ The war is not yours but it’s one you’ll fight for _

_ Sisterhood is key to the dimensional door _.”

Almost as quickly as it had started, the smoke released her form its grip and resided back into the oracle’s face; the sounds died down to a dull background hum and the birds flew away. Artemis gasped air back into her starved lungs and frowned, Zeus really was speaking through her, how else would she know about the ‘super clone’, that was very specific information about Bizarro than one couldn’t just guess or deduce since she hadn’t brought it up to anyone. “A war? And lay in the dirt, am I going to die? What do you mean?”

“That is all, move along now.”

“Wait no, you have to explain-”

“I don’t have to do anything! I have other consultants who wish to speak with me all of whom are in much more dire situations than you are and you are wasting my time. Move along.”

Artemis almost decked her right there and then, she was tired of the gods playing games with her of these bullshit half truths and prophecies, she was tired of losing homes. A breeze blew through the hills and everyone around her went silent, the displaced amazon looked around confused and everyone was silent. She looked back at the Oracle and behind her stood an insanely hot young man who looked to be in his early 20s just out of his teens. He was dressed in a short white chiton which showed off his _ extremely _ toned arms and his great legs, in the words of her 21st century peers this man clearly did not skip leg day. He had fair blond hair and deep brown eyes and he winked at her when he saw her staring at him in a stunned silence which immediately shook her out of her trance and replaced her confused, awed expression with a frown “Apollo?” She asked, sure she had run into a god at this point, of course, of all the gods she had to run into the Eternal Ephobe himself.

“Correct! What gave it away? Was it the handsome face?”

She raised an eyebrow “The location. You are the god of prophecies after all.”

“Indeed I am, although she’s not my Oracle, I’m more of a Delphi guy myself. I still don’t appreciate you yelling at the Oracle.”

“My most humble apologies. It’s just that I've lost a lot of homes already, I’m not too happy to be losing another one.”

“Prophecies don’t always mean what you think, they don’t always hurt as much as they seem to and nothing’s over until the last line of the prophecy is fulfilled, even when the quest is done.”

“Why are you telling me all this? Why are you here?”

“Your situation interests me. As soon as you entered this world I sensed you were someone who would shape the fates of nations and I wanted to meet you for myself, I happen to have a vested interest in fate.” He joked gesturing at the still frozen Oracle. “Poseidon's already raving about how you took down The Thálassian Lion and how he got the whole offering.”

“He is?”

“Oh yeah, he really likes you, likes that he got a nice sacrifice out of this whole ordeal and that you’ve pissed off Athena too in the process. That actually got a few gods on your side although it also turned a few against.”

“Who’s against me?”

“For one our father Zeus, he always did love Athena more than most of his other kids. Demeter wasn’t too happy you killed a tree but I don’t think she’ll give you much trouble, she’s a bit more reasonable than her sister. Hera _ hates _ you because all the Olympians, including her husband Zeus, have all agreed you’re attractive as Helen with a body that’s just _ ripe _ for-”

“Watch it.” She warned.

“-battle! The battled hardened body of a warrior.” He laughed despite himself before going on “However Posedion, Ares, Artemis and Hestia seem to like you. Aphrodite likes that you’re trying to get home for love-”

“Hang on a second! Who said anything about love?!”

Apollo shrugged “If you think she’s wrong take it up with her, she keeps gushing about some boy who’s taken over your heart. If you think that’s not going to work out give me a call, I’d be too happy to oblige you.” He winked at her and she growled. “Careful sweetheart, I’m not against you yet but more rudeness from you and I might just join in Athena’s one women destruction campaign against you.”

“She’s really out to get me?”

“Oh yeah, she _ hates _you.” He affected a higher pitch voice and a more uptight stance to imitate his half sister, “She killed my precious olive tree, how dare this women defile my sacred grove I don’t care if she’s from space or from the future I’m going to make her life a living hell.” He returned to his regular voice “Now you have been issued a quest, you have a lot of choices to make, should you choose to accept it.” he said with a sly wink.

“I will, I have to.”

“Because of your sacred duty to the gods of course.” He continued almost bored, of course every hero he’d come across was always pious to a fault, they’d put the gods above everything else.

“No.” She stared him down, daring him to challenge her on this “I have a duty to my friends.”

Despite the disrespect this actually seemed to please Apollo. He may have been eons old but he still behaved like a child, he liked things to be different and the gods new shiny red headed plaything was certainly different. “Good, I’ll give you and your crew a ride home.”

“What?” before Artemis had a chance to question him further, he clicked his fingers and the most golden chariot she had ever seen arrived above them seemingly being pulled of its own volition. “Oh my gods.” It was like staring into the sun. It was beautiful. The light shone from the chariot and deep into Artemis, warming her very soul with it’s divine fire.

“Careful there sunshine, don’t get dazed by this, I know my chariot is made for the divine but I can’t have you falling mad on me, Poseidon would be angry.”

“I… It’s the sun. That’s the sun.”

“Not technically, it’s the carriage I use to drag the sun across the earth. Now hop in, you’re crew will be taken care of.”

Artemis slowly sat down in the passenger side and Apollo transported to the seat next to her and grabbed hold of the reins. There was no beast of burden pulling them and yet they moved across the sky like Santa on a crisp December night. Apollo pointed at cities he loved, beautiful meadows, places he had slept with men and women alike, he pointed to where his sister, her namesake, was currently hunting and Artemis drank it all in. She was well aware that Apollo was putting the moves on her and as far as flexing went she was pretty impressed but she knew better than to get romantically involved with a god and besides there was Jason to consider. They had kissed. Jason had taken her around his own city, he’d shown her Gotham could be beautiful which was in itself a miracle, he’d even taken her to the bat cave.

When he leaned in to kiss her at the end, Artemis leaned away but then she saw his eyes blaze with godly fire and a vision of a plague taking Thalassa overcame her. Apollo was a fun god yes but he was no kinder than any of the others and he did not like to be rebuked “You threaten a city of Poseidon? Surely your lord uncle would not be pleased if a plague befell it.”

“But my lord uncle can not take his anger out on me. You however are a different story. Of course you can save yourself the trouble for a kiss.”

“A kiss is all you want?”

“Yes a kiss is all I want. I’m not by father, I don’t enjoy forcing myself upon women.”

Artemis smiled humourlessly, “You could have fooled me.” She grabbed his perfect golden curls just to spite him and mess up his hair and pulled him in for a kiss before releasing him. “Thank you for the ride Lord Apollo and for the prophecy.” Do ut des, it was the way this world worked. The gods only gave so that we gave in return. He took her back here but in exchange for a kiss. She was lucky she had run into Apollo and not Zeus or Ares, they would have demanded much more than a kiss for a favour she never asked for and they would not have found her disrespect so amusing.

The Queen came out to the palace roof to greet her “Artemis I was worried when my ships men were transported to my port by divine power without you.”

“I’m fine your highness, just our good lord of prophecies wanted a chat with me, apparently I’m causing quite the stir in Olympia.”

“What did the Oracle say?”

“I have a quest, I need companions.”

“But what exactly did she say?”

_ “ _ She said ‘ _ Sail the seas and feel the Sky King’s rage _

_ Go to the palace where Spring meets men’s Fate _

_ Lay in the dirt and kneel at death’s gate _

_ Make a promise with a foe _

_ Fight with a friend, a super clone _

_ Lose a home that was not like before _

_ The war is not yours but it’s one you’ll fight for _

_ Sisterhood is key to the dimensional door _.’

I think I need to visit Lord Hades.”

“That part is easy, it’s the rest that makes no sense. A clone?”

“I know who that refers to, it’s a common epithet for the friend I’m looking for.”

“But it said you’ll fight him!”

Artemis’ brow furrowed “Yes I don’t know what that could be about. Apollo warned me the prophecies aren’t always what they appear to be.”

“But what else could that mean?”

She sighed “I don’t know. But I won’t fight him, he’s my friend.”

“Time has passed.”

“But some things don’t change.” Artemis countered sternly.

“The prophecy, it said your friend was ‘super’ and you said he was really strong. Is he the son of a god?”

Artemis paused hesitantly, thinking of his DNA donor Superman, “He very well might be. Believe it or not parentage was not something we discussed. We met under very dire circumstances, and it pushed us to be friends very artificially. We skipped over our family history.”

Andromeda tried to nod like she understood but it was clear that she did not. Greeks constantly talked about their parentage or at least their fathers, they constantly talked about all the great things their ancestors had done at any opportunity, at a feast, when walking, during the middle of a battle. The journey to Dodona hadn’t been long but it felt like an eternity with all the sailors telling Artemis their whole family’s story.

“Either way,” Andromeda continued, “you’ll need resources, a ship and a crew to lead on your quest to the underworld and back.”

“Katabasis.” Artemis whispered.

“Exactly.”

“Are you sure your men would want to come? Quests don’t usually go as planned.”

“But they go the way they’re supposed to. Anything that happens is by the will of the gods and the Fates. And besides you already have a few volunteers, you’ve caused quite the stir around here.” She beckoned to her serving girl who quickly left, “Besides,” she continued, “Our city will need more heroes, things are not going well for us right now.”

“What do you-” Artemis started to ask before the serving girl returned with Dios, his sister Demetria (who she had finally learnt the name of), Cassandra, Heron the captain from her voyage to Dodona and a few of his crew and Carisa the maid of the couple who had helped her when she’d first arrived, she gave a shy wave to Artemis “I don’t know if you remember me…”

“Of course I remember you and the kindness of your house! I’m just shocked to see you here, wanting to accompany me on my quest.”

“Like I said my grandmother… I am a descendent of Zeus like Heracles and many heroes before me. I think it’s about time I live up to the name and besides Castor and Andrea allowed it, they wish you well.”

“Well I’d be honoured to have you on my crew. I should warn you, I should warn everyone this quest will include going to the underworld to see our Lord of darkness, it will include finding my friend who I have lost and it will include getting me home. This isn’t a quest to stop a great battle on Earth or in the Heavens, this isn’t a quest for glory, although I’m sure there will be a chance to gain some, this quest is for me, to get me home and I can’t ask anyone to put their lives on the line for that. If you don’t wish to come there is no shame in leaving now.”

She looked around and no one moved or spoke until a small voice spoke up “I’m with her.” They all looked around to face the 5 foot something blond server girl, Demetria who almost cringed into herself at the sudden attention.

Then Cassandra smiled and added, “As am I!”

Choruses of “I’m with her!” and “So am I!” rose from the group that had gathered in the palace and Artemis smiled. “Good let’s get this done. We’ll plan our journey now and leave in two mornings permitted the weather is good.”

Everyone agreed on the plan and the people who lived in the city went back to their homes and the ones who didn’t were housed in the palace (except Dios who decided to stay with his sister).

Artemis was glad she had a crew she could trust. Thalassa had been kind to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the Oracle form Delphi to Dodona hence why Apollo is such a big part. I study classics and we did the Oracle at Dodona last week so yeah, it's better than my half baked, Percy Jackson-ified Oracle of Delphi knowledge.
> 
> Also screw geography, this is an alternate universe where Dodona is right on the coast.


	5. Book V: Do Ut Des

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High on Mount Olympus Athena, Zeus’ favoured daughter, entered the throne room where she found her father and king accepting or rejecting offerings from mortals. “Father.” She bowed low “I come asking a favour.”
> 
> He raised his eyebrow, “A favour? What kind of favour.” He seemed dubious before she had even asked.
> 
> Athena felt the resistance of her father and so she knelt at his feet, “My honour father!” She wailed, debasing herself to the role of ‘hysterical woman who needs saving’, “My honour has been destroyed by a red headed wench who dares destroy a tree in my sacred grove. Now she sails the seas on a quest, she is honoured by the city of my most hated enemy who at every turn has disrespected me and now he laughs at me as his new champion remains untouched by my fury and I will not stand for it!”
> 
> Zeus sighed, “And what would you have me do about her?”
> 
> “Stop Artemis from fulfilling her quest!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by XYLO  
and  
Heaven's Gate by Fall Out Boy

High on Mount Olympus Athena, Zeus’ favoured daughter, entered the throne room where she found her father and king accepting or rejecting offerings from mortals. “Father.” She bowed low “I come asking a favour.” His throne was huge and seemed to contain the whole sky within it with churning clouds and thunderstorms visible on the parts he wasn’t covering. The whole throne room was built with high ceilings and massive marble columns, it was all stark white and holy with the Olympians 12 thrones laid out in a semi-circle around him, Hera’s throne on his left and Poseidon’s on his right.

He raised his eyebrow, “A favour? What kind of favour.” He seemed dubious before she had even asked.

Athena felt the resistance of her father and so she knelt at his feet, placed one hand on his knee and the other gripped his chin in the ancient and binding ritual of supplication, he was honour bound to help her “My honour father!” She wailed, debasing herself to the role of ‘hysterical woman who needs saving’, “My honour has been destroyed by a red headed wench who dares destroy a tree in my sacred grove. Now she sails the seas on a quest, she is honoured by the city of my most hated enemy who at every turn has disrespected me and now he laughs at me as his new champion remains untouched by my fury and I will not stand for it!”

Zeus sighed, knowing that once she had grabbed his chin, to not do her favour would make him seem cruel. “And what would you have me do about her?”

“Stop Artemis from fulfilling her quest.”

“You know I can not kill her, the Fates have spoken she is made for a higher purpose. Even the king of the gods does not defy Fate.”

“THEN PUNISH HER! Make her quest impossible! Kill her companions with storms and bad winds! They sail today Lord Father I wish them not to reach their destination.”

“I will send the for chief  Anemoi, the winds of  King Aeolus. I will send his sons ; Boreas, Zephyrus, Notus and Eurus to shake their ships and knock its sailors overboard. I will blow them off course away from their goals but I can not stop them by my own hand.”

“Thank you Lord Father, that is all I can ask for.”

In the world of men, as planned two days later they were ready to sail. They stocked the ship with fruits and vegetables for the first stretch of the journey and hard tack biscuits and salted fish and meat for the rest. They planned to stop at a few islands along the way and restock and Queen Andromeda had kindly funded the expedition so that they could buy food along the way.

When they all went down to the docks dressed in their armours people cheered them the whole way there. The Queen brought with her a large trunk but didn’t acknowledge it until they were stood at the docks about to depart. “Artemis.” She called as they all stood on the plank that joined their ship, called The Return, to the wooden dock. “I have a gift for you.” She turned to the crowd that was watching, “I offer a gift to Artemis, the hero who defeated the Thalassian Lion! To our great hero.” She opened the trunk to reveal the worked and cured skin of the invulnerable lion, it’s fur worked into a cloak that would protect her from everything. Artemis slid the lion cape onto her back and marvelled at how light it was for something so strong. 

“But I offered the lion to you as a gift. As a thanks.”

“You saved our city from the beast, returning it to use in your defence is the least I can do.” She quickly held up Artemis’ hand and presented her to the crowd who errupted into cheers and screams.

“ARTEMIS! ARTEMIS! ARTEMIS! ARTEMIS!” They chanted in almost hysterical excitement.

The queen used the cheers as a cover for a more private conversation “All of our heroes are out on the battlefield right now so if it weren’t for you I don’t know what we would have done. I was at my wits end, morale was low until you came, now we have something to believe in.”

“The battlefield? What battlefield?” Artemis tried to ask but the cheering had grown louder as they stood there and the Queen hadn’t heard, or perhaps had just chosen not to answer.

“They love you Artemis, and for good reason. Now go, go on your quest and find your friend. The city will be praying for you.”

Artemis wanted to know more about whatever fight had pulled all the heroes from the city, but she had to leave, “Thank you, your Majesty.” She said cordially, finally getting on her boat and waving at the folks who had come out to see them off with high spirits.

  
  


Artemis rode the high for all of one day before a storm that had come out of absolutely nowhere bombarded The Return. She stood on the top deck to make sure all the sailors were managing and to monitor the storm as best she could. It was only because she was looking for them that she saw them; the four winds. They weren’t children of Zeus but they were under his dominion only when they were airborne. Right now North, East, South and West were messing with the waters, Poseidon hated it when lesser gods messed with his domain.

The helmsman fell overboard and everyone rushed to the side of the boat with ropes and wooden for him to grab ahold of.

Artemis stayed where she was on the deck, she grabbed a chalice of wine and raised her head to the sky, trying hard not to spill it on the rough seas. “Lord Poseidon hear my prayer. Some god has let the four daimons of the wind loose on your chosen people, people who have shown you great respect. They mess with your people and they mess with your domain, show them the folly of their ways and save our pious helmsman from the torn up sea.” She poured the unmixed wine into the sea and said another quick blessing to the lesser gods and goddesses of the sea Triton, Thetis and Amphitrite.

They all looked out as a huge wave rose up and the King of the Seas himself emerged from the water. He scolded the four winds harshly, “What god was it that sent you to harass this ship?”

The winds replied but to Artemis it just sounded like the howling of a storm although Poseidon looked angry at their answer.

“Tell them that this ship is under my protection! If you dare to infringe on my domain again you will not live to regret it.”

The Winds raced off terrified, immediately calming the waters and Poseidon came towards their ship, plucking up the fallen helmsman as he went and depositing him back on the ship “It appears Athena has petitioned my  _ dear _ brother to work against you.” The Sea god said ‘dear’ like it had just killed his wife. Clearly the stories of their rivalry were accurate.

“Thank you Lord.”

“I heard your prayer and you offering. It was the least I could do.”

Do ut des, the phrase that best explained the gods. Most religions believed in a perfect being that loved all even though they saw all. Greeks were different. The gods were flawed they only gave so that you may give, they only gave once they had received. They were petty, jealous, angry gods who had almost no moral high ground to stand on even as they demanded it of the mortals they had dominion over. It was basically just a more divine quid pro quo. It was more deadly too.

A cup of wine could have spelled the difference to this boat floating or sinking. To that helmsman’s life or death.

The journey to their chosen entrance to the underworld was long, there were 5 known entrances most of them rivers and lakes although Orpheus had entered the underworld through a cave, singing so well the stones had leapt apart for him and allowed him entry. Of course he was the son of a Muse so he had an unfair advantage. 

Artemis had chosen the River Acheron to the West of Greece, it was where Odysseus had entered the underworld. She would have preferred Aeneas’ entrance since he was a much better quest leader but that was closer to Latium (Italy) and they were in Greece.

Her crew had been unsure about using Odysseus’ entrance, “Are you sure?” They had asked “He lost his entire crew.”

“But it was a good entrance.” Artemis replied “Our boat will fit in the rover and you can wait right outside for my return.”

She learnt a lot about her crew on the journey. She liked to complain about how much people liked to talk about their family history but some of it actually was interesting.

Carisa, daughter of Agripinna, descendant of Zeus spoke about how her family had become a family of slaves despite having the blood of the gods. “My grandmother was a beautiful noblewoman who caught the eye of Zeus, and many women have but like many women before her Hera was not happy at her husband’s infidelity. She punished my grandmother, spreading horrible rumours about her until she was exiled for her apparent depravity. She wandered for months before any kindness was shown to her a group of priestesses. Who saw she was pregnant with my mother. They trained her in the art of servitude before sending her on her way when the rumours of what she had done reached this new town and she had to leave. Eventually she got far enough away that no one knew her and she became a servant girl. She married a widow who needed a wife to care for his 3 children while he worked. My mother was forced to work for them as she was not their father’s daughter and so while they became farmers and lawyers and scribes, my mother became a servant girl too. The household she worked in… the master of the household is my father but as the daughter of a servant, I too became a slave in his household until I reached an age where his wife no longer wanted me around as a reminder of his infidelity. Andrea and Castor bought me and I have been with them ever since. It is a much kinder house hold, they live outside of the city, there is no class or status or pretence to keep up and Castor loves his wife dearly so there is no danger of-”

Dios and Demetria, children of Pollux, told of how their parents had been Greek nobility too but had become bankrupt during a war. They still had their land and their family name so Dios could get control of his farmland and Demetria could become a lady in waiting for the Queen but things would never be the same as they had been as children. They had lived in a great household with servants and luxury a plenty.

Heron, the ship’s captain and son of Melia a sea nymph and (very) minor goddess, talked of how his father had also been a sailor who had caught the eye of the nymph one day during a storm and had been saved by her. Like most gods she made for a terrible parent but when he was at sea she usually helped him in times of trouble or petitioned Poseidon for mercy.

Cassandra’s story was much simpler “I come from a long line of farmers, I have no divine blood in my veins or in my line and I married a farmer. But my father’s father once helped a king during a civil war, offering him food, drink and a place to hide when his enemy was hunting him. When he won the war he offered him land and a place in his kingdom always. That king was Andromeda’s father and that land now belongs to my brother. The reason I came on this quest was because I wish to distinguish myself among men, like my father.”

  
  


Once they reached the River Archon Heron asked her, “Are you sure you wish to go alone?”

Artemis nodded “It’s the underworld, taking people with me would be like signing up to a suicide squad- I mean a suicide quest.” He didn’t argue but he looked worried, as he should be. Trips to the underworld were tricky, she could get trapped like Theseus or simply just not achieve her goal like Orpheus. “I’ll be okay. This is only the second line of the prophecy remember, I can’t complete the quest if I’m a ghost.”

She tried to keep that level of positivity as they got closer and closer to the underworld but it was hard not to get nervous. Entering the underworld was not something you could train for, she read all the stories but that’s what they were. Stories. No one can ever fully write down the incomprehensible.

She lowered her row boat onto the river and sailed a bit away from The Return. Artemis wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, maybe a huge gate to the underworld with big signs saying ‘death this way’ but it looked exactly like a regular river. “Lord Hades?” She felt a bit silly talking to a river but she had been proven wrong many times already since she’d gotten here so she continued “I request entrance to the underworld.” She pulled out a sack of coins Andromeda had given her and dropped them into the river. Hades wasn’t just the god of the Underworld, he was also the god of everything under the world, every precious gem and metal was all part of his domain so hopefully he would appreciate the gold she was giving him otherwise she had just dropped a buttload of money into a river for nothing.

There was nothing for a few seconds as she waited in silence and then a black whirlpool opened up in front of her making a terrible hissing sound like a monstrous snake and three gnarled and winged women with chains and whips and weapons flew out one by one and faced her before hissing “You dare enter the land of the dead?”

“I do.”

“Are you here to bring back someone you have lost?” they spoke in unison.

“I am not.”

“Do you intend to steal from our Lord of the Shadows?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what brings you here? All the way across Greece to the entrance to the realm of the dead?”

“I’m not entirely sure.”

“You don’t know?” They asked incredulously and with disdain.

“I mean a quest. A prophecy, the Oracle told me to come to the Gates of Death.”

“And here you are at the gates.”

“She said to lay in the dirt.”

“So the Oracle has given us permission to take your life.”

“No, I have much more to do once I return.”

“So it wasn’t a quest or a prophecy that led you here to us now?”

Artemis sighed, “No, I suppose it wasn’t. I’m trying to get home.”

“Ah so it was home that led you here. Then we know what you seek and we don’t know how you intend to get it. Sail forward if you dare.” They pointed at the whirlpool. It had grown bigger as they spoke, big enough to fit her boat and then some. It seemed to suck in all the light and warmth around it, like a blackhole, she looked into it and all she saw was darkness. She swallowed. Death was not a thing she had feared before when it had seemed so far away but now that it was staring her in the face…

She could tell her face had grown pale, she felt nauseous. She didn’t want to go, she really didn’t want to go. But she had to. Slowly, she picked up her oars and started to row. Once, twice and on the third stroke she found herself falling down a rabbit hole.


	6. Book VI: Daughter of Bellona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She could hear the howling of the three headed jackal Cerberus and promptly decided to avoid the huge dog whose eyes were like burning coals and whose coat was like bristling spears, he guarded the gates of the underworld but there was surely another way besides passed a huge terrifying dog.
> 
> She walked the darkness and saw many of life’s greatest fears, she saw Oizys, the goddess of Grief and Misery and Nemesis the goddess of Revenge, she saw Old Age, Disease and Fear all bearing down on her like an oppressive weight. She felt like Atlas shouldering Hunger, Corruption, Poverty and murderous War. She could see it in her mind’s eye, feel it on her skin, taste it on her tongue, it swallowed her whole, tearing away her very sense of self and replacing it with everything that made Death into Death.
> 
> Slowly her reason for being there slipped away. Thoughts of Home and Bizarro and Jason and Gotham all forgotten as everything she was was scooped out of her mind and replaced with Death’s sister Sleep. Her eyes glazed over and in her daze, her sword dropped from her hand and sunk into the ground disappearing from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
My Blood by Echos  
and  
Leave Your Lover by Echos

Suddenly she was plunged into almost complete and utter darkness, pitch black apart from a dim light, like moonlight, that shone from somewhere above her. It allowed her to see the horrors laid out before her. Artemis drew her sword and held it out in front of her as she walked, ready and poised to strike anything that dare attack her in the dark.

First she was faced with another lake, only this one had spirits on it’s shore, clambering for something in the water, they were calling out but Artemis couldn’t understand them, all the words out of their mouths just sounded like chattering teeth and the clacking of bones. Artemis looked out over the river to see what they were calling for and out of the darkness came a small boat and a ferryman dressed in a dark cloak with the fog clinging to him.

“Do you have payment?” He asked as he approached.

It was only then that she could see who it was, it was Charon the ferryman of the underworld, he was an old man, his face so withered she could see the skull behind the skin, how he made sounds without moving his lips or tongue Artemis didn’t know but she lowered her sword and slowly asked “How much?”

“Usually it’s just one drachma.” He looked her up and down, “But the price triples for the_ living _.” She pulled three coins from her bag and held them out to him. “You may pass.”

“What about them?” Artemis asked, pointing at the large crowd of ghosts on the other side.

“They were not buried or they do not have payment, they can not cross the River Styx for 100 years and so are not my concern.” He handed her an oar “Row.”

“Is that not your job Ferryman?”

“I shall take the tiller. You row.”

As Artemis rowed the little boat, the vessel cut slowly through the marshy waters. The Styx was polluted with the unfulfilled dreams of humans who had had to leave them behind in death, the air was filled with mournful noises that pierced the darkness and the hubbub of clanking chains echoed for miles. Moans and sobs could be heard and in the distance was the other bank where great fields could be seen.

They reached the other side remarkably quickly, it was like the whole river had shrunk once she’d gotten on the boat and the opposite shore was close by. “Thank you.” She said as she hopped off the boat, careful not to step in the water of the Styx. He scoffed at that as he sailed away “You should not be thanking me, I am not doing you any favours by bringing you here.”

Artemis watched him disappeared back into the darkness before looking around, her sword out and drawn once more. It was so dark it was like Nyx, the primordial goddess of night, had buried the sky in shade and black night had robbed the world of all its colour. 

She could hear the howling of the three headed jackal Cerberus and promptly decided to avoid the huge dog whose eyes were like burning coals and whose coat was like bristling spears, he guarded the gates of the underworld but there was surely another way besides passed a huge terrifying dog.

She walked the darkness and saw many of life’s greatest fears, she saw Oizys, the goddess of Grief and Misery and Nemesis the goddess of Revenge, she saw Old Age, Disease and Fear all bearing down on her like an oppressive weight. She felt like Atlas shouldering Hunger, Corruption, Poverty and murderous War. She could see it in her mind’s eye, feel it on her skin, taste it on her tongue, it swallowed her whole, tearing away her very sense of self and replacing it with everything that made Death into Death.

Slowly her reason for being there slipped away. Thoughts of Home and Bizarro and Jason and Gotham all forgotten as everything she was was scooped out of her mind and replaced with Death’s sister Sleep. Her eyes glazed over and in her daze, her sword dropped from her hand and sunk into the ground disappearing from sight.

Slowly Artemis started walking, she didn’t know where to, she didn’t even think to question it, she just walked and found herself in a sea of dead souls all wandering the asphodel fields. It was like Purgatory. For the people who were too good to go to the Fields of Punishment but too bad for the Elysian Fields. They were simply wiped of everything and wandered for eons with no memories. They could pass their brother, their mother, their lover or their worst enemy and not even know it and now Artemis had fallen under the Underworld’s sick spell, had come under the sway of the death gods and joined the army of the dead as they marched like soldiers to war.

The only difference between them and her was that they were all shades and she was still flesh and blood although if she stayed in the Underworld long enough, even that would no longer be true.

She wasn’t sure for how long she walked in that field for before she found her. One of Hades’ generals, doing a round of the fields to make sure everything in the Underworld ran as it should when she caught sight of the vivid red hair in a sea of beige and grey and black.

She was riding atop a ghostly horse so of course it flew, it was easy to fly over the large crowds and hover over Artemis as she marched along with everyone else “You there.” She called down “What are you doing here?”

Artemis didn’t answer her, Artemis didn’t hear. 

Belyllioth’s eyes widened under her battle helmet “Oh no, she’s gotten herself trapped.” She said to herself worried. People didn’t often journey into the underworld but those who did didn’t always come back, or at least not in a timely fashion. The fields were huge, who’s to say how long this red head had been wandering around without being spotted, it could have been centuries. The General grabbed her spear and poked Artemis with the butt end softly.

Without thinking Artemis grabbed the spear and flipped Belyllioth off her horse directly through a ghost and onto the ground “Who dares attack me!” Artemis yelled.

Belyllioth’s helmet fell off of her head as she flipped, revealing a beautiful but decidedly demon face and long brown hair that had been plaited flat against her head to accommodate her helmet, “Attack you? I’m saving you!”

Artemis blinked and her and for a moment she was transfixed by the beautiful women in armour lying on the ground and scowling at her incredulously, then she got her senses about her looked around at the shades of the dead, “I… what?”

Belyllioth got up, snatching her spear back from Artemis and holding her helmet under her arm like an astronaut, she scowled some more “You got trapped in the underworld, Hades knows how long.”

“Trapped…” Artemis grabbed her head “Oh no, I’m so dumb of course this would happen it’s the fucking Underworld, people don’t just come back from the Underworld. Oh goddess I have to get out of here, I need to get out.”

“Hang on, I assume you came her for a reason. It would be a shame to leave before you actually completed your goal. Come on.” She leapt back up onto her ghostly horse and offered Artemis a hand which Artemis took hesitantly and jumped on the back, clinging on to the other woman so she didn’t fall off the supernatural beast of burden.

“Who are you?”

“Your saviour apparently.” She smirked, looking back at the red head, “and you?”

“If we’re being cagey, let’s just say I’m Lost.” She looked around as they left the fields and ended up in a different terrain “Where are we going?”

“The palace, I have to report you to security, we have an intruder.”

“An intruder! I came here legally!”

“Oh really? So how did you die then?” She asked sarcastically.

“I mean- I didn’t die... but the Furies! They let me in, I gave an offering and they gave me entry.”

“They let you in because they find people’s suffering fun. They’re not really supposed to let anyone living in. Of course heroes are getting in all the time. Are you a hero Artemis?”

“How did you know my name?!” She questioned, bewildered.

“I’ve seen you soul.”

“So you know if I’m a hero or not. Why don’t you tell me.”

They landed and they both climbed off the horse, “I know you’ve done bad things. I know you don’t think you’re a hero, you’ve killed people. But I also know how many people you’ve saved, how many hard decisions you’ve made for the good of others. I’m not a judge here, I don’t decide who goes to the Field of Punishment and who goes to Elysium but_ I see you Artemis _. You’re not a bad person.”

The two stared at each other in silence before the horse whinnied and jolted them out of their trance. “I appreciate the sentiment but you don’t know me Belyllioth.”

Now it was the General’s turn to be shocked “How did _ you _ know _ my _ name?!”

Artemis smiled sweetly, pointing down at her chest “It says it on your name tag.”

“I-” Bely looked down at the name tag shocked, “-Well- Yes. The dead tend not to know how to read. I forgot I had that on.” She sighed “I suppose I better introduce myself properly; I’m General Belyllioth, Daughter of Bellona.”

“Artemis Grace.” She responded courteously, “So you’re a general? You must know a lot about what goes on down here?”

“I know enough to do my job.”

“I’m trying to get home, the Furies acted like that should mean something down here.”

Bely looked over at her weirdly and opened her mouth to say something before they came to a huge door in the palace and she stopped herself, shutting her mouth tight before instead saying “Lord Hades is through here, show him proper reverence.”

“As is only proper.”

The gates opened to reveal a huge throne room, even the word room felt too small. It was grand and obnoxious and was everything she imagined Olympus to look like except instead of shining white marble from Greece, everything was made of dark Egyptian basanite. The whole thing was made of black stone, that is if it wasn’t accented with gold and precious gems. A lot of rubies and emeralds in the shape of flowers, in murals depicting scenes from Hades hay days, on of him and Persephone in a garden.

She approached the two thrones and knelt “Lord Hades, Lady Persephone. I am Artemis” She greeted respectfully. Beside her Belyllioth bowed and struck her left chest with her right fist.

“Rise.” Hades commanded giving her a once over, “I don’t appreciate trespassers.”

“My apologies Lord Hades, I did not intend to trespass. I was given a prophecy by Dodona and she told me to come to the Underworld although I’m sorry to say I’m not entirely sure why.”

“Ugh!” He groaned “Heroes and quests, quests and heroes, I’m sick of that damned Oracle sending hero after hero down her to retrieve this or that or talk to their long dead whoever. This is the land of the dead, it’s not for alive people! Why do you people always come here!”

“Hades, my Flower, calm down.” Persephone tried to temper him.

“I am calm my Little Ruby.”

“What is your quest Artemis?” Persephone asked interested in the affairs of morals and the upper world of men and the living.

“I’m trying to return home with my friend but I’m not sure how-”

“Home?” Persephone stopped her, leaning forward in her throne “You’re trying to get home and the Oracle sent you here? Hades you know what that means-”

“Absolutely not! That is my prized gem I won’t give it away to this woman.”

“A gem? Is that what I’m supposed to get?” Bely hit her discreetly and mouthed ‘shut up’ to her. Clearly this gem, whatever it was, would be hard to get.

Persephone frowned “The pomegranate that I ate, the ones that mean I can’t go home for 6 months of the year, the rest of them became a huge red gem. They have the power to take anyone home if used correctly.”

“That’s it! That’s what I saw sent here for. Please Lord Hades I beg you-”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT! Anything under the earth is in my dominion! It belongs to me I have had enough taken from me by you Olympian brats; my home on Olympus, Theseus tried to steal my wife! People are constantly coming here and disrespecting me and everything I stand for! People deplore me, they constantly disrespect me, they-”

“Lord Hades! I am no Olympian brat. I follow the gods of Egypt, the gods of my ancestors. We respect the chthonic gods greatly, we respect the dead and treat death with reverence. I would never disrespect you, especially not in your house.” She glanced around, wondering just how much the other Olympians could see and hear down here “I am not fans of your brothers, despite the patronage Poseidon as shown me.”

“You’re not?”

“The male Olympians, they are cheaters and rapists, unlike you who has remained faithful to your dear wife Persephone for all this time, even when she’s not here.”

Hades looked at her and grabbed his Helm of Shadows which was hanging from the back of his throne, it was a helmet that could make anyone feel fear, it was a great tool for the Lord of the Underworld. “Do you feel that?”

She did. It was like a prickling sensation on the back of her neck, the hairs on her body stood on ends. Her nerves were on fire and her flight and fight response made her want to run from this place but she stood her ground “I am known for my bravery Lord Hades. You don’t scare me.”

“Now that’s a lie. This is a weapon of the gods, I know you fear it and me but the fact that you haven’t collapsed on the floor in tears tells me that maybe you’re telling the truth about the rest of what you said.”

“I don’t expect it for nothing. I will do anything for you Lord Hades,” She winced at her own wording, she definitely shouldn’t promise ‘anything’ “Offerings and sacrifices?”

“Anything?”

“I have the skin of the Thasallian Lion, a great treasure given to me by a Queen-”

“Keep your trinkets. I have enough treasures.” He leaned forward in his throne and Persephone eyed him nervously “What I want is much more precious than that.”

Artemis gulped. “What can I do for you Lord Hades?” He whispered something in her ear and Artemis blanched, “You want me to get what!”

“And to make sure you complete your task and make your way back here alright for you’re reward, Belyllioth will go with you.”

“I will?” She asked, looking over confused at Hades “I mean I will. Of course Lord Hades.” She gave a curt bow and Artemis followed suit and then they turned around and walked away. “What did he say? What does he want?”

“A flower.”

“No seriously.”

“I’m being serious, there’s this special super rare flower that is supposed to be the most beautiful in the world and it’s guarded by the whole city and he wants to get one for Persephone. Roots and all so she can grow some in her garden.”

“Aw that’s actually quite sweet.”

“It would be sweet if I wasn’t about to fight an entire kingdom for his anniversary gift.”

She laughed, “You’re the one who said_ ‘anything’ _. ”

She sighed “Yeah, really regret that. At least I get to hang out some more with you General.”

“Call me Bely. Since we’ll be questing together for a bit.”

“Alright Bely it is.” Artemis said with a smile.

Belyllioth led them back to the River Styx with ease and greeted Charon like an old work friend and they had a dry conversation about ‘the boss’ and the weather in the underworld. Charon seemed surprised to see her back “I thought he would have killed you.”

“Well he didn’t thank the goddess. I mean that literally thank you Persephone.”

He dropped her off on the other side and suddenly she was sitting in her boat on the river in the middle of the day along side Belyllioth. “Ah! It’s bright!”

“That’s the sun, get used to it Bely.” She snarked although her own eyes were struggling to adjust to the light as well. She squinted down stream and she could make out the outline of a ship, although that was about it. She didn’t see the boat rowing towards her until they were directly in front of her “Artemis!” She heard Cassandra’s panicked voice “Are you okay?!”

“Cassandra? Yes I’m okay. I now what I need from Hades but I need to do something first.”

“That’s all you’re going to say!? You’ve been gone for months!”

Artemis finally blinked the sun spots out of her eyes “MONTHS!?!?! How long?”

“It’s been 4 months! We all got odd jobs in town, we were worried you’d be lost forever like Theseus.”

“I almost was, but Belyllioth saved me.” she gestured to her new quest-mate and Cassandra and Dios who was also on the boat stared at her warily.

“A servant of Hades?” She asked trying to be neutral but her apprehension showed clear on her face.

“She’s here to make sure I complete my task for him and to get me back so that I can get my reward. And _ she saved my life _Cassandra.” she emphasised.

“I- well yes that is good thank you for saving her.” She took her hand in her own “Any friend of Artemis’ is a friend of mine, welcome to the crew even temporarily.” 

Dios finally spoke up, “It’s good to have you back, come into town everyones on their lunch break they’ll be so glad to see you alive and well.”

“Four months. It felt like minutes.”

“You’re lucky it wasn’t longer, you could have been wandering for centuries before anyone saw you in that huge field. You’re lucky you’re a redhead or I surely would have missed you in that crowd.”

They all towed to shore and Cassandra and Dios filled them in on everything that had happened since she’d been gone. “We debated going back so many times but Heron is a sailor, he made sure we stayed put in case you returned.” Cassandra gushed.

“I’ll have to give him my thanks.”

“We prayed for you every day you were gone. And we sacrificed to Hades as often as we could.” Dios added.

“So you’ve all been working in the nearby town?”

“Oh yes,” Cassandra supplied, “Carisa, Demtria and I have taken jobs as seamstresses and Heron has been taking people on short trips to nearby islands. Dios has a job as a butcher’s apprentice since no one here needs another farm hand. The town’s folk are really quite nice and we sent word to the Queen when you didn’t come back after a month, she was quite distressed to hear you were missing on top of everything else, she’ll be glad you’re back.”

Artemis nodded as she walked, quickly buying a modesty shawl and handing it to Bely who had attracted quite a number of stares and whispers for her daimonic appearance, she put it on with an eye roll and a grumble of ‘mortals’. Artemis hummed “Since I arrived in your city, I’ve heard so many inklings of battlefields and trouble and yet I know not what you’re referring to.”

Dios screeched in shock, “No one told you? Thasalla is at war!”

“War?! What war?”

“The Mesyrasians to the South feel it’s not proper for a queen to be in charge and intend to dethrone her and take our city as their own. They fear we will become ‘corrupted’ by the Amazons and attack them if they don’t. Andromeda has tried many times to make peace talks, offering her sister and her niece in marriage to create a peace pact but they will not hear of it. They think these women to be spies of the man haters and refuse to house them in their palace. Andromeda even offered her younger nephew in marriage to their princess and they accuse her of trying to broaden her empire by placing her man on their thrown. Nothing she says will make them cease this war and the situation is deteriorating.”

Dios sighed “No city will come to our aid because the Queen has no princesses to marry off and no princes to lead the charge.”

“And will the Amazons not help?” Artemis cried.

“No fair lady, the last time the Amazons involved themselves in a war they were destroyed alongside the Trojans. The Argives killed them and didn’t even bury them and we are Argives. They would not fight to defend us.”

“Was Thalassa at Troy?” The redhead queried.

Cassandra shook her head “All the country leaders Princes and Kings went to Troy with Achilles but Agamemnon, lord of men, did not see it right to have a Queen at war. And with no prince to lead our forces…”

“He told her to stay at home,” Artemis finished. Her lip curled in disgust, “to do women’s work.” 

Dios shrugged, “At least the Queen wasn’t away fighting for 10 years. All the heroes of that war only came home to misery. Achilles and Neoptolemus died there, Odysseus was lost for 7 years only to find his wife hounded by suitors, Agamemnon returned home to be murdered by his adulterous wife and Menelaus discovered his wife had never even been in Troy but in Egypt, although not for lack of trying on Paris’ part. Our queen escaped that hero’s fate. No hero ends up happy.”

Artemis looked away thinking of her own ‘great fate’ “A hero’s fate.”

Belyllioth gave her a small nudge, “Have you finally admitted to yourself that you’re a hero?”

“It would certainly explain why everything in my life seems to fall apart.” After everything with Akila and now this… maybe they were all right. She _ was _ a hero and a hero suffered a fate worse than death in every story; Hercules killed his wife, Jason had his son’s murdered by Medea, Theseus was trapped in the underworld, Achilles had his love, Patroclus, ripped away from him by the cold confines of war.

Akila had said Artemis had a great fate ahead of her, a fate that had no place for her in it, maybe this was what she meant. Every hero's story ends in tragedy.

Belyllioth was quickly distracted by a market stall selling dyed fabrics “I’ve never seen so many colours that did not belong to Persephone’s flowers! People _ wear _ these?!” She asked excitedly picking up a bright orange piece of material and holding it up to Artemis, “Look Artemis it matches your hair!” The General looked up to find the questing trio smirking at her with mirth in their eyes and she instantly straightened up, cleared her throat and put it back, “We should find your friends. We must be off if we are to complete my Lord Master’s quest.”

Artemis smiled at Bely’s innocence of the upper world and her resolve to remain stoic, “Indeed we should.” She agreed, even as she picked up the orange cloth once again and held it up to Belyllioth like a woman not bothered to try on clothes at a clothing store, “I think it suits you rather nicely.”

Artemis was close enough to so Bely blush under her veil, they were face to face both holding the cloth between them. “Yes I suppose it does.”

“Would you like one?”

“One of these?” She asked finally looking away from Artemis to face the market stall in surprise.

“Any _ good _ lady such as ourselves should have one.” She joked, they were hardly proper ladies both being warriors and generals as they were.

“Well if I’m to blend into the mortal world I suppose I _ must _.” She grinned echoing Artemis’ joking tone, she may have been a daimon of the Underworld but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a nice chiton when she saw one. When you got to the underworld you were in the same clothes that you died in but all the colours were gone, it was all muted greys and bland beiges, there was no lime green and cherry red and dandelion yellow like there was here. Not unless it was literally a lime or a cherry or a dandelion from Persephone’s garden but she’d only been there once in all her time serving Hades.

They eventually settled on a forest green piece of cloth that was long enough to be folded into a variety of different Greek women’s wear and finally got moving once again.

Cassandra took them first to the seamstresses where the other women were working. They leapt up in joy at the sight of Artemis and threw their arms around her, “Artemis!” Carisa cried in joy, “We feared we had lost you forever.”

“Friends, I am glad to see you both in good health. Thank you so much for staying here and waiting for me, I was almost lost to the Underworld but my new friend Belyllioth saved me.”

Heron who had heard whisperings of a strange red headed women in town had come to the shop to test his suspicions and laid his eyes upon their mission’s captain, “Lady Artemis! You’re alive!”

“Heron! I hear I have much to thank you for!” Artemis greeted him warmly, taking his forearm in her own as he did the same to her forearm, in a mark of respect amongst warriors .

“I leave no man - _ or woman _ \- behind. You were lost at sea but our lord has put some wind in your sails and sent you back to us like Odysseus after his odyssey.” 

“Hades wants a favour and it will require some sailing, are you up for it?”

“Am I up for it? Point me to a star map and let’s get going!”

She laughed “I suppose before we do go, I should ask what our stocks and our treasury is looking like?”

“Andromeda sent us some money a few months back for the quest and we have not spent it because we all have jobs here now. Our provisions however are low... and we all have matters to attend to for the next 4 days at least.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “Maybe we can’t leave quite as quickly as I had hoped.”

“That’s okay, you all attend to your matters, Belyllioth and I will spend the next four days gathering supplies. And I must write to the Queen at once, she’s been so kind even in the midst of the war.”

They all agreed on the plan and the four of them returned to the ship to check what they had and what they needed. Cassandra wrote down everything on a list and have it to Artemis to check off and Artemis did the maths on how much everything would cost approximately and found the number to be agreeable.

While the others worked their last few shifts, stitched their last dress and cut their last cut of beef, and said goodbye to the town’s people, Artemis and Belyllioth spent all their days together, buying supplies at the markets. Artemis showed her what the upper world was like, showing her the markets and the fields and the sun set late at night, “It’s... _ beautiful _.” Belyllioth breathed as she witnessed her first sun set. They were lying on top of a hill outside of town together watching the sun disappear below the horizon. “Where does it go? The sun.”

Artemis almost went into a long and boring speech about how the earth went around the sun and the earth span so while this side of the earth couldn’t see it the other side could but she figured no one was ready for that just yet and it was only half true, so she told the other half instead, “Lord Apollo has a beautiful golden chariot that can fly across the sky and every day and night he carries the sun across the sky. It perfectly curved and smooth, like it was carved from one piece of mighty oak. It has delicate details carved into it too, the story of the sunset and the sunrise, the sacred cows of Apollo, images of Helios and Dawn and Zeus of the skies and the ethereal lyre which he uses to accompany himself as he sings his lyrical poems and elegies.”

“Does he have golden horses to pull his chariot?”

“He has no horses at all. His chariot pulls itself through the sky like a bird cutting through the wind, although he does have reigns.”

“Wow that sound amazing. How do you know all this about the gods?”

“We’ve all heard the stories of the gods. The Olympians are worshipped here and everywhere the Greeks have ever gone. Also I’ve been in his chariot. When I visited the Oracle he took me back ho- back to my dwelling.”

“That was nice of him.” Bely said, looking over at her sideways eyes shining with wonder.

Artemis scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Was it _ not _ nice of him?” She asked.

“For a god, yes, I suppose it was a kindness. Mostly though I was just a way to alleviate the boredom that comes with being immortal and a way to get a quick kiss.”

“You kissed him?” 

“He threatened a city’s wellbeing over the outcome of that kiss, I suppose I did not have much choice.”

“He forced you!” Belyllioth sat up angrily, “He can’t do that! I’ll hunt him down like a dog-”

“He’s a god Belyllioth. I’m afraid he can do that, most Olympians do a lot worse. At least I’m not a cow or a bear right now.”

“Hades told us the Olympians cast him out for no reason, how his own brothers and sisters abandoned him to the Underworld. Hades told us the Olympians were cruel.”

“I wouldn’t say they’re cruel. Their actions can be cruel but they’re not cruel, they’re… they’re juvenile. They don’t like when things don’t go their way, they don’t like no. When they get angry or sad or jealous it affects us mere mortals very badly. A city could be destroyed because a Prince said another goddess was more beautiful. You could be transformed into a beast or an animal to hide an affair or because you were better than a god or because you were tricked into breaking a vow. You could be cursed to turn your daughter to gold or turn men to stone with a look.”

“Hades told us the upper world was a nightmare.”

Artemis paused, “It can be, for a lot of people, but it’s not always. There’s beauty in the upper world that’s hard to find in the land of the dead, there is something distinctly beautiful in life. A friend’s smile, a child’s laughter, a city at night when all the lights are on and it’s twinkling like the night sky, the sun sets, the love of another person.”

“You?” Belyllioth asked, lying back down and facing Artemis. Breathing slowly as if she was holding in her breath so as not to scare the heroin away.

“You.” Artemis added softly.

_ **Commission from @AllyAllyOrange on Twitter and Instagram** _

Belyllioth leaned down slowly and kissed her. For a daimon her lips were remarkably soft, her touch remarkably tender. It was like wherever their bodies touched lit up like fire. Artemis reached up a hand to cup the other woman’s face and Belyllioth rolled over entirely on top of her so that she could do the same without falling over. She couldn’t help but notice how their bodies slotted perfectly together, like two halves coming together to make one, like two puzzle pieces fitting together to complete the picture. 

They finally parted for air and stared deep into each other’s eyes, Belyllioth stared down at her like she was ensnared in her eyes, like her face as the sky and her eyes were the sun set. There were no colours in the Underworld. “Do you know how green your eyes are?”

Artemis jerked up, almost pushed Belyllioth completely off of her in the process, “What did you just say?” She looked like she’d been stricken in the face.

Jason had said that to her, they’d just started working together and Artemis had opened up about her past and about Akila; she’d been raw as Hades about seeing her again even if it was just a trick and Jason has asked that exact same question and it had been the first moment she realised she might actually like him as more than just a teammate.

“I’m sorry?” Belyllioth apologised, confused. She knew she’d said something wrong to ruin the moment but she couldn’t for the death of her figure it out. “Did I do something wrong?” Belyllioth asked sliding back into her place next to her and trying to take her hand into her own

“No-” Artemis jerked her hand away, her mind racing, what was she doing? “No- I… This was a mistake. I’m sorry.”

“What?” Bely asked, the hurt clear on her face even as Artemis started gathering herself up.

“We’re sailing tomorrow and then we’ll do Hades’ quest and you’ll go back home it’s not a good idea, I’m sorry.”

“But-”

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry. I should head back to the ship, make sure we’re ready for tomorrow.”

“But we already triple checked the list-”

“-Just in case.” Artemis stood up and jogged down the hill, her long hair streaming after her. 

Goddess alive she really didn’t know what she was doing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be switching between using 'Thasalla' and 'Thalassa' just know that it's not like a clue or something. I'm just dumb. It's the same thing, you'd think I'd know the name of the main city of the epic but nope.
> 
> Every Greek epic needs a tragic gay love story, Iliad has Achilles and Patroclus, Aeneid has one too. I don't make the laws sorry i just follow them.
> 
> PS I know Bellona is more of a Roman goddess but Belyllioth Daughter of Bellona? Come on I had to do it! Belyllioth is a character from Wonder Woman V2 annual (i think #8 but it could be #6) and also from the Artemis: Requiem miniseries


	7. Book VII: The Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poseidon must have given them favourable winds because they reached Kyrolis in half their expected time and made quick work of selling their no longer needed supplies of food to other leaving ships at the docks.
> 
> “Demetria and Dios, can the two of you enquire in the market place about the flowers. How rare they are, if they’re up for sale, how one would get one. Do not mention stealing and do not mention the royal family.”
> 
> “Got it.” the brother-sister duo headed off to the market to question the vendors.
> 
> “Carisa, Heron and Belyllioth head to where the flowers are and take note of their security. I want guard shifts and rotations, I want lookouts and archers and I want the architecture and the layout. If we can’t get one legally, we’re going to have to be prepared for a heist.”
> 
> “Cassandra, you and I will go into the inner city. We’ll talk to the doctors and the scholars about the flower, they may have a different insight into it or know of any dangers it may possess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Spotify playlist for this fic because why not? 
> 
> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
Power by Little Mix ft Stormzy  
and  
CHAMPION by Bishop Briggs.
> 
> It's two songs per chapter so 12 chapters and 24 songs. here's the link:  
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5aIHnNlpgNkBKwaM3PGqAn?si=3isWjk1jT_WHq8Muvh1Lpw

They set sail as planned. They had good winds and the docks were relatively quiet that morning according to Heron who had made himself quite familiar with them over the last 4 months.

Belyllioth and come back to the ship a full hour and a half after Artemis had returned, after the moon was high in the sky and the twilight was twinkling. Artemis had kept watch over the area and counted down to make sure Belyllioth actually came with them after what she’d pulled on the hill. She’d stayed out of sight and as soon as Bely was back, she went to her quarters and tried to get some rest. It was hard, almost impossible. 

She dreamed of Akila again which was probably some kind of sign as to where her mind was right now.

This time her usual nightmares of her burning down their home and the mad fire blazing in her eyes only this time Jason was there too.

_ Jason had come to save her from Akila’s rage and her deception like he had in real life but this time instead of The Outlaws working together to stop her she pulled her bow taut and shot Jason in the heart, “YOU STOLE MY LOVE FROM ME!” she shrieked like a silver banshee, “ARTEMIS IS MINE AND MINE ALONE! SHE IS MY LOVE! _ ** _YOU CAN NOT HAVE HER_ ** _ !” _

She woke suddenly but this time, not with a start. She didn't sit up dazed and confused, this time she just opened her eyes and she was no longer trapped in her nightmare. She rose from her bed slowly even as her heart fluttered in her chest and put on a loose white chiton, no need to put her battle gear on when they’d be on the sea for a few days at least.

She came to the kitchen/dining room to find her whole crew already awake and cooking breakfast “Everyone is up? Why did no one wake me?” She spared a glance at Bely who was staring very determinedly into her cup.

“You just got back from the Underworld not 4 days ago, we figured you’d need some rest.” Carisa explained, handing her a drink of her own.

“Well thank you guys, but that wasn’t necessary.” She took a sip from her cup, “Good goddess is this wine?”

“Yes.” Carisa answered confused. Of course, clean drinking water was hard to come by, especially at sea which was why people constantly drank wine but she just hadn’t expected it so early in the morning.

“Right, I don’t suppose there’s any water about?”

“Oh there’s plenty of water around but no drinking water; not unless you want to sit over a fire for half an hour and purify it.”

“Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.” Artemis grumbled into her cup.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She sighed, drank some more of her drink and sat down at the head of the table which they had saved for her. “Okay so first we head to Kyrolis where they keep the flowers Hades wants and then we need to look for where my friend Bizarro could be. He’s quite remarkable, I’m sure if we get in the same region as him we’ll hear stories about his daring exploits.”

Belyllioth leaned over to Demetria and whispered, “Who’s Bizarro?”

“Her friend who she’s been looking for, she came here with him. He’s some kind of demi-god hero, he’s apparently really strong.”

Poseidon must have given them favourable winds because they reached Kyrolis in half their expected time and made quick work of selling their no longer needed supplies of food to other leaving ships at the docks.

“Demetria and Dios, can the two of you enquire in the market place about the flowers. How rare they are, if they’re up for sale, how one would get one. _ Do not _ mention stealing and do not mention the royal family.”

“Got it.” the brother-sister duo headed off to the market to question the vendors.

“Carisa, Heron and Belyllioth head to where the flowers are and take note of their security. I want guard shifts and rotations, I want lookouts and archers and I want the architecture and the layout. If we can’t get one legally, we’re going to have to be prepared for a heist.”

“Cassandra, you and I will go into the inner city. We’ll talk to the doctors and the scholars about the flower, they may have a different insight into it or know of any dangers it may possess.”

They all went off on their separate missions, Cass and Artemis finding a physician near the palace, “Excuse me, we were wondering what you knew about the Adramire flower.”

The medic looked up at the two unaccompanied women and scowled but he explained anyways “It’s a special flower distinct to this region given to us by the earth mother Gaea. This is the sight where the Titans lay in waiting to fend of Uranus, the sky, and finally, make space between the land and the heavens.”

“These flowers are as old as the Titans?”

“Indeed. They are said to be able to cure any affliction and heal any wound but they are also said to be the most beautiful flowers in existence.”

“They are said? You’ve never seen them?”

“No, the king keeps them behind a high wall with a 24-hour guard. The wall is impossible to climb and the guards are highly trained. Anyone who’s even tried to look at them has been caught or died trying. No one who is alive today outside of the royal family has ever seen them.”

“And the guards are never tempted to look?”

“The guards know the price for their disobedience.”

Just then a young boy entered the ship with a basket full of herbs and medicine and a pamphlet “Lethos look! The unbeatable comet is competing in the competitions tomorrow! We have to go see it!”

“Otus, how many times have I said we don’t have time to go see the games, we have to be studying medicine. People’s lives depend on it.”

“But teacher-!” He groaned in that annoying way only somebody’s child could.

“Enough of that nonsense young one.” He grabbed the paper from his hand and slammed it down on the table.

Artemis’ eye followed the note and her eyes fell upon the headline.

**KYROLIS GAMES**

**ENTRY ENCOURAGED FOR ALL STRONG AND SKILLED MEN**

**SPECIAL GUEST: THE BULWARK BIZARRO**

Artemis’ eyes widened, “Does that say Bizarro?” She asked pointed to the leaflet.

“Why yes, it does!” Otus grinned toothily, “He’s amazing! He’s faster than Achilles and stronger than Hercules and more daring than Perseus! He is more incredible than every other hero in the world!”

“He’s my friend. We got separated on a trip, I’ve been looking for him!" She turned to the boy, her eyes pleading, "Do you know where he is?”

“I don’t know where he is now, but I know where he’ll be tomorrow.” Otus grabbed back the pamphlet off the table and held it up.

“Can you take us to this?” Artemis asked, looking from Otus to Lethos expectantly.

Lethos sighed reluctantly, “Fine Otus you can go to the games, I, however, will very much remain here.”

The kid whooped with joy, fist-pumping the air “Thank you, teacher! Yes, fair lady, I can take you to the games, what is your name?”

“I am Cassandra and this is Artemis of Thalassa.”

“Thalassa? That’s quite a ways away. What brings you here in a time of war?”

“A prophecy.” Artemis answered with a sigh, “The gods have seen fit to give me a quest.”

"A quest?!" Otus whooped again, “I’m helping a _ hero _! This is the coolest day of my life!”

“Quests don’t make heroes young man, saving people makes heroes." Artemis preached, "Remember that when you finish your training and become a great medic. You’ll be like the hero-god Asclepius and save lives.”

Lethos actually smiled at that and ruffled Otus’ hair “And don’t you forget it boy. Now plan your meeting for tomorrow and then get back to work, you’ve had a long enough break.”

“Yes, sir.”

They made their plans and headed off to talk to other people who might know anything about the flowers, they heard stories of people trying to climb the wall and getting about 2 metres up before being shot down, they heard about guards who had been bribed to distract the other guards and had been killed for their crimes against the crown; they heard about all sorts of harebrained schemes and devices that had been built to try and get a glimpse over that wall and not a single one had come close to success and things were starting to not look good for Artemis’ plan.

They all met up back at the ship to eat dinner and compare notes. Bely and Heron pulled out a big map they had drawn of the walls and Carisa had notes she had taken about the guard shifts, “They rotate every 3 hours but they say a code to each other when they change shifts so they know who it is under the helmet. During guard changes, they don’t leave if the other guards aren’t there which means instead of there being a few moments with _no_ guards there’s actually a few moments with _ double _ the guards. Even without that the watchmen who double as archers are on a _ different _ 3 hours shift and they keep a close eye on the guard changes to make sure nothing happens.”

“3 hours seems like a short shift for guard duty.” Artemis noted.

“The king wants his guards alert.” Carisa shrugged.

Heron pointed at his rogue sketch “The walls are built in a circle with sentries all around it and it’s like 10 metres tall. It’s hard to climb and even if you managed it, it would be hard to do it without being seen. Honestly, the only way to get over this thing would be to fly over.”

“Fly over…” Artemis paused if they could get Bizarro in on the plan maybe he could do exactly that.

“What is it?” Demetria asked, leaning in.

“I may have a plan but it depends on how things go tomorrow. I think I may have found my friend Bizarro, he might be at the contests tomorrow. We have plans to go with a physicians assistant called Otus, he’s going to show us around.”

Carisa laughed “He’s here?! What are the odds!”

“Knowing the Fates…” 

Cassandra cleared her throat, “I don’t mean to rain on your parade Artemis but didn’t the prophecy say you’d fight him?”

_ Fight with a friend, super clone _

“He won’t fight me.” Artemis insisted.

“But what if he does.” Countered Cass “The gods fated it-”

“Then I won’t fight him!” Artemis slammed down her cup, “He’s my friend!” Everyone was silent for a moment “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled. I just- I’ve had to fight a lot of my friends in my life. I don’t want to fight another.” She stood up to go to her room, “We have a lot to do tomorrow, I’m going to get some rest.”

No one followed her as she left but a few minutes later there was a knock at her door “Come in.” As Belyllioth popped her head around the door, Artemis sat up awkwardly on her bed “Bely…” They hadn't really spoken since the kiss.

“Look I’m not here to talk about all of_ that _.” She shut the door behind her “Like I said before, I’ve seen your soul. Akila wasn’t your fault, you did what you had to do then and you may have to do it again soon.”

“I already said I won’t fight him.”

“We don’t get to decide what we do. The gods decide what we do and Zeus’ Oracle has spoken.”

“I am not a piece in their games!”

“But you _ are, _ Artemis! We all are! Every decision we think we’re making has been planned out from before we were even alive. Whatever fate you have can’t be changed. If Dodona says that you fight him then you _ will _ fight him, you don’t get to decide that, it’s not your fault.”

She shook her head. “My gods abandoned me a long time ago, I refuse to believe that my actions since then have not been my own. The gods are petty and vindictive. They’re angry and jealous. They don’t have _ plans _for the universe.” She hissed as if whispering would mean they wouldn’t hear her, “They sit in their thrones on mount Olympus and they punish us for living by the same standards they do just because they think they’re better than us when they’re not! I don’t care what Zeus says, I’m not fighting him!”

Bely sighed, “I tried to prepare you for what’s to come but if you won’t heed my warnings there’s not much I can do.” She left without another word and Artemis slumped back onto her bed. She wouldn’t fight him, she couldn’t.

She actually fell asleep without meaning to this time. She had tried to stay up and think about her game plan for getting to Bizarro for tomorrow, just because she would be at the contest didn’t mean she would be able to get close to him.

_ She dreamt about Bizarro this time. The secret room under his bedroom floor that led to a chamber of liquid kryptonite, how he’d taken her hand in his own and begged her to help him. How she’d made him quit and forced him back into his old ways and had caused the explosion of their base. How this whole thing was her fault because she’d thought she’d understood Lex Luthor of all people. _

She couldn’t fight him when he was only here because of her.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, she was still in a mood from her outbursts yesterday and from her dream but she tried to prep up to raise the morale of the team.

They met up with Otus at his teacher’s shop and Artemis thanked them both for their help once again. Lethos waved them off dismissively but there was no bite to it so she didn’t take it personally.

The kid talked the whole way there about Bizarro’s perfect record, about how he’d come to their city from nowhere and said how he’d taken the world by storm, “People have been coming from all over to try and upstage him and no one’s done it yet. The competitions are open to anyone and princes have-”

“Wait, _anyone_?” Artemis asked.

“Yep!”

“Even women?”

“Unmarried women yes.” Otus lowered his voice, “We’re not supposed to talk about it but 3 months ago an_ amazon _ entered and she beat him in archery but that’s the only woman I’ve heard about entering.”

“Is there a deadline to enter?”

“Yeah, when the contest starts.”

“Mmmmm." Artemis thought about what those kinds of rules could mean for her, "What contests are there?”

“Foot races, boxing, wrestling, discus, archery, javelin, chariot racing and long jump.”

“I can do those, apart from horse racing.”

Otus looked unsure, “Are you sure you want to enter? No one will be too happy to see a _woman_ competing.”

“That’s too bad for them.” Artemis shrugged, lifting her dress a bit to show her black hero boots “I brought my running shoes.” If she could get herself into the competition that would guarantee she’d be close enough to talk to Bizarro, she wouldn't have to rely on sneaking passed everyone to get to the contestants.

They reached the stadium pretty quickly after that, Artemis was determined to enter the competition, she hadn’t just worn her boots under her long chiton, she’d worn her whole outfit. The signup tent was pretty easy to locate. As soon as their little posse rocked up the man in charge instantly turned to Heron, “I’m not the one signing up.”

“Oh sorry.” He apologised turning to Dios.

“It’s not me either.” He said, hands raised in the universal sign for surrender.

“Then who?”

“Me.” It would have been the perfect line to step forward on if she hadn’t already been standing at the front, “Artemis of Thasalla, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Thasalla? Shouldn’t all of you guys be helping the war effort?”

“Me? On the battlefield?” She asked sarcastically, “Why that’s hardly the proper place for a _ lady _.” She grabbed the sign up sheet and quickly wrote her name under boxing, discus, long jump, foot racing, archery and javelin.”

“You’re not going to sign up to wrestle?”

“It’s hard to wrestle fairly with the hair.” She ran a hand through her impossibly long hair, “Although if anyone even tried to pull it, I would not hesitate to lay them out.”

She separated from her friends after that to join the contestants, there were a lot of men around but none of them was Bizarro. A few of them were giving her dirty looks but one man she clearly recognised as a prince approached her politely “It’s not often women compete.”

“Good observation.” She replied wearily unsure of his intentions.

“I’m Alastor, son of Asopus and Prince of Mesetta.” He held out a hand to shake and Artemis took it.

“Artemis of Thalassa.”

“No other title?”

“I’m not royalty, and whilst I have been a general, I am not a general in Queen Andromeda's army.”

“You’ve been a general? Are you an Amazon?”

“I am not a part of the group of women you would call the amazons.” She expertly skirted around the question. Which was technically true, the amazons here were not her amazons and she was not a part of them. “Say, I thought the special guest would be here too.”

“Bizarro? He’s only fighting in the boxing match. Do you see how many people there are right now? We all get weeded out during each competition and the winners get to face Bizarro in the ring.”

“Oh yes of course. That does make sense.” A thought suddenly occurred to Artemis “There was no prize listed on the advert, what does the winner get?”

“The king believes no one can win so he said if one of us beats him we can get anything we want.”

“_Anything?_”

“Absolutely anything. He swore by the gods just yesterday.”

“What would you want, if you won.”

“My kingdom is rich, which makes us targets. I would ask for their army in any coming battles.”

“And if you don’t win? How do you intend to keep your kingdom safe?”

“No one has declared a war quite yet. So I suppose I’ll pray to Athena that no one does.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Look the javelin is starting, I must get to my place.”

“I’m up for that too. Looks like we’re rivals.” Artemis smiled as they walked in the same direction where all the javelins were being handed out and people were being lined up. Their names were written on them in squid ink and those who were royals and brought their own had their royals crests and flags stamped on it. Alastor’s servant boy handed him his own javelin while Artemis took one of the standard ones and noted her name down very carefully.

As she got into place she laid eyes on the king of Kyrolis for the first time. He was tall and imposing, wrapped in regal purple cloaks and golden accessories, his crown was set with jewels and his beard was brown, only greying at the roots. His eyes were on her like the eye of a storm and he stood up angrily, his face blowing up red “Who is that woman!”

Everyone turned to look at her as she stood up straight and answered him “Artemis of Thalassa, your majesty.” She bowed low.

“I will not have a woman in my contest.”

“I was under the impression that unmarried women were allowed Sir, but if you fear I may win against all these brave men and princes before us today I suppose I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone.”

It was a risky move, insulting everyone by claiming a woman could beat them, even if she could, but it paid off when the king blew up even more, “A woman! Beat these men! Impossible!”

“So there is no harm in me competing? I will likely be out from this javelin throw, alone.”

“I suppose not.” He grumbled.

“And there would be no harm in you swearing an oath to me in case I win?”

“I won’t swear an oath to you!”

“But it won’t matter unless I somehow manage to beat your most fearsome warrior Bizarro. You have said it impossible for these men, so how am I to face him?”

She had trapped him if he didn’t then people would think he was scared his prizefighter would be beaten. “Fine.” He agreed, “What do you want?”

“I want you to swear upon Zeus Horkios, god of oaths, and Themis goddess of Justice that if I win you will meet my three demands.”

“Three demands? What demands?”

She smiled, fixing her hair in the reflection of someone’s shield, “I haven’t decided yet since it’s so unlikely.”

“Fine, I swear upon Zeus Horkios, keeper of oaths and Themis goddess of Justice to fulfil any three demands you met out should you win this contest.” Hook. Line. And Sinker.

“Thank you, your majesty.”

Now all she had to do was actually win this. 

The first competition was a breeze, her Javelin went pretty damn far, of course, some of these Princes were demigods so hers did not go the furthest. It got her into the next round though and that’s all she needed, to keep getting into the next round. She avoided looking at the king after she got through, she would hate for him to think she was gloating about how wrong he was, even if she totally wanted to.

The long jump went much the same, long jumping wasn’t her strong suit but she tied 5th last of the qualifiers with some son of Apollo so not bad.

Discus went way better, ending up in the top 10 of the new round of qualifiers, and this time she couldn’t help but glance at the king who was absolutely fuming.

Archery, of course, was her strong point, she managed to come dead first in that one, no doubt about it. She even beat the Apollo kid although he was right behind her. He too looked quite angry at that one although like a good sport he did congratulate her on her win, “Thank you.” She was getting a lot of angry stares. No one had expected a woman to get so far against so many strong men, nobles, princes, demigods. It was fun proving people wrong.

In the stands her team was going absolutely crazy, she had never seen Cassandra so animated, she was whooping and screaming in the crowd. They had even started a chant for Thalassa and were screaming it out. Even Otus had joined in they were so excited.

The foot race was next, this one was probably her riskiest competition. She was fast but she’d also been around the same speed as Jason had when he’d gone top speed. She didn’t have super-speed like some demigods did and whilst most of these men didn’t have much of a height advantage, the ones that were left were the best of the best. Then again so was she. She took off her chiton to reveal her black and sleek streamline costume. Half the men were racing naked or with only what can only be described as panties and the other half were wearing little leggings that looked a lot like the ones their enemies in Persia wore but she couldn’t blame them when they were so practical for things like this. Her outfit got a few looks but it was probably much more appreciated then if she’d dressed like them in what was essentially nothing because even unmarried women had to be modest.

“On your marks!” The announcer yelled and Artemis bent down and put one foot behind the other to ready herself to spring up.

“Get ready!” She straightened her legs out a bit to lift herself up.

“GO!” She was off like a shot.

There were 30 people left in this race and only the first 20 would go through to the next round, with the top 10 allowed to go through without entering the chariot race and the other 10 having to qualify. She didn’t have a horse which means she couldn’t afford to only just qualify. She had to come in the top 10.

Ahead of her, she could see 12 people which means she was 13th which meant not good enough. She pushed herself harder, her legs moving like she was pedalling downhill on a mountain bike in 1st gear. She streaked past number 12 and pushed herself past number 11. She inched in front of number 10 officially putting herself in the top 10 and kept on pushing until she has somehow gotten to 7th place.

2 places in front of her she spotted Alastor and in front of him, she spotted a son of Ares who had done very well in the discus. She closed the distance between herself and Alastor and finished up the race in 6th place.

She looked behind her as the last 10 people crossed the finish line, they were absolutely crushed. One man caught her looking, a man from Athens who had been annoyed the whole time he’d been there and even more annoyed after she’d gotten ahead of him in almost every competition. “What’s your problem you amazon wench!” he yelled at her, stalking over to her and drawing a knife on her.

She got into a defensive position ready to defend against attack when suddenly Alastor was in front of her “Do you intend to strike someone down here within the sanctuary walls of this place? This contest honours Hermes, do you wish to have your travels tainted by the blood of a woman with no weapon in her hand?”

The man backed off although not without spitting at the both of them. “Whore.”

“Thank you." She said to Alastor as they both stared down the retreating Athenian. "I could have handled him but I appreciate not having to.”

“Think nothing of it, you’ve done very well in the competition, for a second there I was worried you would beat me in the race. I suppose we might get a rematch in the horse racing.”

“Unfortunately I don’t have a horse which is why I tried to hard to be top 10. Since you were 5th, why would you risk charioteering? You could flip and die.”

“And Bizarro could punch me so hard in the head my skull splits open. That’s the nature of the contests.” He shrugged nonchalantly, “These may be _ called _ games but they’re as serious as war.”

“Well good luck with that, I hope to see you in the next round.”

Artemis used the long break to get some water and get out of the sun. She watched the races with everyone else and cheered for Alastor when he came 2nd after some son of Poseidon which made sense since Poseidon was the lord of horses.

Artemis congratulated him as he dismounted and handed his horse and carriage off to his servants. “Thank you.”

When the boxing match finally came about the other men who had qualified all flexed and posed for the audience, Artemis stood there stoic, knowing nothing would get the audience on her side and not needing them to be. Alastor winked at her jokingly as he played to the crowd, holding up his sword and yelling out a battle cry for Mesetta. There were apparently quite a few Mesettans in the audience because they cheered it back.

The son of Poseidon had a golden trident that he pretended to move waves with and one of the other men lifted a heavy rock over his head just to prove his strength.

After that Bizarro finally came out. He was dressed in a golden armour like Achilles himself and a red cloak that looked a lot like the one he had worn as an Outlaw but suited this time period perfectly, his hands were wrapped in leather bands that were supposed to protect a boxer’s hands when they punched someone in the face. As he entered the arena the crowd went nuts screaming his name “BIZ-AR-O! BIZ-AR-O!” Over and over again, stamping their feet and clapping their hands together. He shed his cloak as he got closer and then stripped himself of his chest plate to reveal that he too was wearing typical Greek boxing wear (and was thankfully not naked because that would have been awkward).

In his time away he had grown a beard and it reminded Artemis of the hipsters she’d come across on the upper east side of Gotham. His skin was as pale as ever, even the Mediterranean sun hadn’t changed that but in a world of gods and men that could probably be easily explained away.

He was easily the tallest one there. Artemis was 6 foot and she was still several, and _ I mean several _, inches shorter than him so all the contestants were all looking up at him. He didn’t bother to scope out the contestants, simply beckoned the first one forward.

Artemis watched the first fight closely. All of these men were used to taking hard blows and continuing on but none of them had taken blows from a Superman clone before. The first guy was overconfident, he went in relying on brute strength and he lost in about 4 punches. The second guy didn’t seem to learn his lesson and from the sounds of it, broke his arm trying to knock Bizarro out.

The third guy at least understood the need to bob and weave but he wasn’t very good at it, his reaction times weren’t good and he too soon fell to the Bulwark Bizarro.

The fourth guy tapped out after seeing three guys receive knock out punches in the first round and the crowd booed him off for being a coward. The fifth guy was Alastor and he fared the best so far going in so far as to make the fight last 2 rounds before Bizarro ended up. 

He was laid out flat on his back and the medics brought him away from the main stage to check on him “You alright?” She asked him, leaning over the poor guy.

“My ears are ringing." he replied very loudly, he definitely couldn't hear himself, "I should have tapped out like that other guy.”

“Nonsense, you’ve done the best so far!” Her name got called quickly and she waved, “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.” He scoffed, “Let’s hope he doesn’t hit women as hard as he hits men.”

When Artemis stepped into the ring the effect was immediate, “Red Her?”

“Yep. Took me a while to track you down, but I did it eventually.” Artemis grinned as she put up her fists ready to fight.

“You’re going to box me?”

“Yes, I am. Don’t hold back.” She said that last part louder so that everybody could hear. The arena was dead silent, you could hear a penny drop. Everyone was on the edge of their seat to see how their champion did against this woman who had done so well so far.

Artemis threw the first punch, she knew Biz wouldn’t and she almost didn’t dodge his return because it suddenly hit her that she was fighting with a friend.

When the Oracle had said ‘fight’ she had thought a real fight, a battle, with the stakes being life or death but maybe this was it. Just a somewhat friendly boxing match. She was much quicker than the other men and Bizarro seemed to be moving a lot slower than he had in Gotham so Artemis took advantage and made sure to avoid his fists.

She threw her own punches and she was strong, they definitely impacted him, he’d even stumbled back a few times but he was built like a tank and had Superman powers to boot so that was never going to work.

She went three rounds without either of them being knocked out before the crowd started to demand an end to the fight. They wanted a winner. The king looked antsy like he was scared she just might win and he really regretted his life choices.

In the fourth round, Bizarro brought his hand back to perform a roundhouse punch with the biggest wind up she’d ever seen him use, he really wasn’t holding back, damn. Just before he made contact, Artemis ducked under his hand and crouch low in front of his now defenceless centre. She turned to the side and placed her fists together and then swung upwards with all her might to perform a double-fisted punch and Bizarro went flying onto his back and grabbed his chin in pain “Ah!” The crowd started counting down and he slowly got to his feet “Good one.”

“Thanks. There’s more where that came from.” While he was still recovering, Artemis did it again only this time throwing her firsts straight up in a vertical line and knocking him back once more.

He got up again but not before the audience ran out the clock. 

There was silence for a moment and then Bizarro held up Artemis’ hand in the universal sign of victory and the crowd went wild. Everyone loved a champion, but they also loved an underdog. “ART-E-MIS! ART-E-MIS! ART-E-MIS!” 

Artemis held her hand up to the crowd and they went silent, “Your majesty, king of Kyrolis it would appear I have won this contest.”

“It would appear so.” He grumbled, shifting in his seat.

“In accordance with our agreement you owe me three things.”

He sighed, “Speak your demands _wench._”

“First I ask that in the event that Mesetta is ever attacked by another city and only in those circumstances that your powerful armies assist them in defending the city.”

“Your first request is that I help your competitor's city? Why ask for aid for Mesetta when Thasalla is currently at war?”

“That is what I want! Do you agree or not.”

“I agree. I will sign a pact with the Prince now while he is here.”

“Great, secondly I would like to make sure my friends and I are given safe passage out of the city and are not pursued by anyone .”

“Yes yes, you will not be followed when you leave.”

“And thirdly, I want a flower. An Adramire flower from your gardens which you keep so well guarded.”

“You want one of my flowers! How dare you I will not give up even a petal of my-”

“Have you forgotten the oath you made before the gods and men? The oath you made to Zeus and Themis? Do you intend to be an oathbreaker? To reign down the anger of the gods upon yourself and your Polis? Zeus does not take kindly to those who don’t stand by their words and your subjects will not take pity on you when plagues and fire and famine reign down upon them because of your lies.”

The king growled at her, actually growled and there was a tense minute of silence. No one spoke for at least 60 seconds as the king finally got a grip on the situation, he took a deep calming breath although it clearly didn’t help and finally broke the silence. “In accordance with our agreement I will give you what you have asked for. The guard who is to retrieve this flower is not to speak of what he saw to anyone, the flower is to be wrapped gently so that no other eyes may lay upon it and _ you _ ,” he pointed at Artemis, “must leave _ my _ kingdom immediately and do not come back.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

As she waited for the flower to be given to her she conferred with Bizarro, “Bizarro are you alright?”

“Me am fine.”

“Are you sure? I know we’ve gone head to head before but I never should have been able to beat you like that.”

“The sun am different here. Me am still strong but not as strong. Me can not fly here.”

“I’m so glad I found you, I was worried we got truly separated when we went through that portal.”

“Where have you been?” Biz asked her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

“Well I was in Thasalla for a bit, then I had to get a prophecy from an Oracle in Dodona, then I had to go on a quest and I just spent the last four months in the Underworld.”

“Red Her is dead?”

“No Bizarro I’m not dead, I had to talk to Lord Hades. He’s the one who wants the flower. Speaking of which, the quest I’m on right now, it’s to get us back home. I know your life here is pretty great and all, guest of honour, but when we leave here, will you be coming with us?”

“Home?”

“Yes home.”

“With Red Him?”

“Assuming the idiot hasn’t gotten himself killed without us.”

Bizarro grinned and scooped her up in a hug, “Of course me am going home with you!”

At some point, her team had made their way towards her and she quickly introduced everyone, “Bizarro this is Heron, Cassandra, Dios, Demetria, Carisa and Belyllioth. They’ve been helping me on this quest. Everyone this is Bizarro. And Bizarro this is Otus, he’s a big fan, he showed us here when we got into town.”

“By the immortals, I can’t believe it! I’m talking to Bizarro, like _the_ Bizarro, like the champion of Kyrolis! I can’t believe it! You’re amazing! I’m literally your biggest fan! You’re amazing!”

“Thank you, Otus. That am very kind of you.”

When the guards got word that the flower had been dug up and placed in an amphora with soil and covered with a light veil the team started their way back to their ship where they would meet him. A contingent of guards was dispatched to watch them go and make sure they left and when they asked Bizarro what he was doing he quickly explained in his stilted English that Fate dictated he join Artemis’ quest and that she was his friend from before he had come here.

“Your English has improved so much.” She whispered to him as they walked, not liking how close the guards were to them.

“Me have come a long way from when you taught me letters and the colour red.”

“You certainly have, my friend. How have you adjusted to this time period?”

“It is strange here. Like… like 300.”

“300? The movie? When did you watch that?”

“Me and Red Him watch when you went questing with Rope Lady- Wonder Woman.”

“Of course you boys do no work when I’m not there.” She laughed and rolled her eyes as she showed him their ship as they finally reached the docks, “Queen Andromeda of Thasalla very kindly gave me this ship to use, she’s been very kind. She funded this whole mission.” As they started to board Artemis suddenly stopped “Wait, you must have made some friends while you were here, don’t you want to send a goodbye message to anyone?”

Bizarro shook his head, “The people at the palace are mean. All the nobles are mean. They talk about Bizarro behind my back when they think me can’t hear them.”

Artemis scowled, “What did they say about you? I’ll break all of their faces!”

“It’s okay. They weren’t wrong.”

Artemis’ scowl deepened, “What did they say Bizarro.”

“They say Bizarro am dumb, that Bizarro must be cursed by Athena. The King say Bizarro am useless and the only good thing is my strength.”

“Don’t listen to him Biz, me and Jason didn’t team up with you because of your strength, although it is useful, we became a team because of your heart. You’re a good person, genuinely, and that’s hard to come by. The king and all of his nobles aren’t good people, that’s why they say mean things about people when they’re not around and that’s why they don’t like you because you’re better than them and they’re jealous. They’re jealous of your strength and they’re jealous of your heart.”

“You once called me a monster. And now look, it am Bizarro’s fault we’re trapped here.”

Artemis looked down regretfully, “I did once call you a monster and I’m sorry about that, I didn’t know you then but Bizarro it’s not your fault we’re here. I misjudged the entire situation, I thought I knew what was best for you and that I had finally understood how Lex worked and I was wrong and it cost you the most. But I’m not here because of some mistake you made, I’m here because I’m your friend and there was no way in hell I was letting you go through a dimensional portal explosion alone.” Artemis wasn’t one for physical contact but after finally finding Bizarro and then finding out he’d been bullied for all the months they’d been separated, Artemis couldn’t help but pull the big lug into a hug.

She finally knew why Jason complained when Biz hugged him, the guy really didn’t know his own strength, it was much softer than when they’d fought all that time ago when they’d bother been ‘trapped’ by Black Mask but he was still much rougher than your average person, it was nice though. Bizarro was much warmer than your average person, he radiated warmth, maybe it was because his cells were holding the energy of a not quite yellow sun or maybe it was because he was so big, either way, Artemis leaned into the hug and buried her head in his chest, she’d forgotten how short she was compared to him, it had been a long time since anyone had dwarfed her. Even in this world of heroes and demigods, she was still extremely tall.

The rest of her crew had been nice enough to give them both some space while they caught up but Belyllioth interrupted their extended hug with a tap on her shoulder “Sorry to break up this reunion,” she didn’t look sorry, she looked jealous, “but the guards are giving us the eye, I think we should get going.”

The guards didn’t look overly hostile, they looked more like they wanted to know what was inside their box and less like they were trying to shoo them off, but Artemis didn’t want to tempt fate and she could sense a ‘hurry the fuck up’ when she heard one. “Yeah let’s go then.”

As the boarded Heron asked, “Where to?”

Artemis opened her mouth to reply and then stopped, where to? They’d gone to Hades and he’d given them a quest for this flower, now what? Were they supposed to go straight back? Bely still had to return the flower and they had to do a trade. She turned to the daimon in question “If you’re thinking of going back the way we came, don’t. There’s a closer entrance and then I’ll be out of your hair and out of your life forever.” She snipped at Artemis and Bizarro gave her a questioning look at the animosity between them, “Just head towards Turchia.” she continued, pointing to Turkey on the map.

Cassandra squinted at the map, “ If we’re going to Turkey we have to stop by here, I propose we take a quick stop in Thasalla, I would love to see my daughters.”

Heron looked at the map too “She’s right, I wouldn’t mind heading home for a few days.”

Artemis nodded, “Sounds like a good idea, maybe I can catch up with Queen Andromeda if she’s not too busy.”

Demetria grinned from ear to ear, “We’re heading home!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally gonna be a heist chapter but then I thought about how she was gonna find Bizarro and what he would have been up to while he was there and being some kind of champion seemed to fit him with his powers.
> 
> Bizarro usually has strength on his side but Artemis has skill, in this world, his powers are decreased because the sun isn't quite yellow, alternate dimensions and all.


	8. Book VIII: Eyes of the Gorgon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not afraid of you Medusa. I see you, passed the snakes and the eyes and the stone. You’re not a monster, you’re just a woman. Like me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a playlist for this fic and the songs for this chapter are:  
Going Nowhere by St Beauty  
and  
Medusa by Kailee Morgue

Artemis wasn’t sure at what point it became obvious to everyone that they weren’t sailing in the correct direction. They’d all studied the star charts and the maps and the wind directions and they’d done everything right, pointed the ship in the correct direction and let her rip and yet they’d somehow found themselves further away from their original goal of Thasalla than any of them could figure out, “It has to be a god right?” Heron asked, trying to figure out exactly what constellation they were under, “There’s no way we just ended up way out here by ourselves.”

Artemis looked around at the empty horizon, “I honestly wouldn’t put it past them. So long as we haven’t wound up in the Sea of Monsters, I say we find an island and dock for the rest of the night. We can figure out what to do in the morning.”

“Did anyone see an island near here?” Carisa asked wrapped up in a blanket and just barely holding back a yawn, they’d all stayed up late to monitor their predicament and keep watch for anything like Sirens or the clashing rocks, thankfully they had yet to come across any monsters.

Heron nodded, “There was one back there. Since we haven’t seen Scylla or Circe yet I’m going to assume we’re _not_ in the Sea of Monsters and I’m really tired so I think I would take being turned into a pig over having to sail through the night.”

“Great, then it’s decided. Bring us in Captain.” Artemis ordered, sitting down on the edge of the boat and watching the horizon carefully as they approached an island. When a goddess was after her, it may seem risky to tempt fate but Artemis had no fear of death here, she had no fear of the sea and she had no fear of the gods.

They docked and Artemis climbed a tree to look around for any signs of people living there, “I don’t see anything but it’s dark and they would have the home advantage. We need to find a hill or something where we’ll be well defended.”

They found the hill pretty quickly and walked up to it, collecting berries and firewood as they went. They’d brought some food from their ship but the detour from their planned route had depleted their resources. Dios looked at their food list, “Maybe we should hunt here, we may run out of food if we keep getting lost like this.”

Artemis sighed but agreed, “You’re right Dios, we don’t know the next time we’ll be able to get to a market.” She turned to her recently reunited teammate, “Biz can you scout out any animals around? A dear? A pig? A cow?”

Biz looked around, using his limited super senses to try and suss out anything they could eat. “That way.” he pointed towards a stream near the bottom of the hill “Wild boars. A group of them.”

Artemis pulled her bow out with a single thought and a flash of light. “Cassandra, Carisa head down to that stream get some freshwater, Dios head down to the beach get some saltwater and Bizarro can you set a fire? I’m going hunting, hopefully I’ll be back soon. Heron, Bely and Demetria keep watch over everyone, give us a shout if you see anything out of the ordinary.”

“Got it.”

While Artemis followed Bizarro’s directions and indeed came across a pack of sleeping wild boars Bizarro grabbed the firewood and the dry leaves used to start the fire and stared at it intently. The sun may have been different here but it wasn’t red and he still had powers, it was just harder now. With great difficulty, his heat vision finally sparked enough to shoot out of his eyes and ignite the fire, he sighed and slumped down next to the fire. Demetria turned around a little shocked that the fire had been started so quickly, she’d been watching her brother go down to the ocean, “That was fast!” She approached the fire and quickly made sure it was built safely and in a way that wouldn’t cause the whole hill to erupt in flames “You must have many gods on your side.”

“Me am not sure. People keep saying me must but it often doesn’t feel like that.”

Demetria nodded in understanding, “The gods do not always reveal their plans for us to mortals. Sometimes we just have to make it through as best we can and hope they see us and have mercy.”

Belyllioth scoffed from where she was watching Artemis sneak up on the sleeping pigs, “I can’t imagine living like that. Hades always used to say that the real hell was the land of the living. At least we know where we stand with our chthonic gods.”

“And where do you stand with Lord Hades? As his slave?”

“As his general!” She snarled “At least I’m not like you women and that Carisa. If I lived up here I’d be made into some gods sexual plaything and defined only as ‘mother of-’ and not anything I did myself! Lord Hades gave me the same chances as all his other generals and I was the best unlike you and your queen who can’t even give away land to a woman for fear of attack, who can’t go to war without being laughed at, who is scorned for not having a husband and a son!”

“How dare you talk about the queen that way! And no god would ever lay with you, not with those hideous tusks you call teeth!”

Belylllioth’s hands flew to her rather large K9s that marked her apart from the mortals as a daimon and she almost flew into a blind rage, a sword appeared in her hand, ablaze with fire and fueled by her fury, “These are the marks of my high station! I am a general in the army of the dead and I will not be made a fool of by the likes of you!” She stalked forward looking for all intents and purposes like she was going to cut the other woman down where she stood.

Bizarro stood up from where he was crouched over the fire and stood between the two, “Belyllioth, you can’t fight her.”

“It won’t be a fight! It will be a slaughter! I can not let this insult go unchallenged.”

“You’re on the same team here.”

“I am not a part of this team, I was ordered here by my lord Hades for one simple purpose and it is only by his will that I won’t cut you down.” She angrily sheathed her sword and as she turned around she almost bumped directly into Artemis who had climbed up the hill with a boar on her back. She huffed at the redhead and two puffs of smoke blew from her nostrils.

“Bely-”

“Don’t.” She pushed passed the time-displaced amazon and towards the beach, passing a confused Dios as she did so. He returned with the water and heated it up until there was only salt left. Demetria skinned and cut the boar, leaving aside apart for the gods and cooking the rest, adding salt to it as she spun it over the fire.

Artemis stood apart from the group as they cooked and talked, trying to shake off the oddness of having a daimon almost attack one of them and the tension that had been brewing between Artemis and Belyllioth since they’d left that first dock. Bizarro came and stood next to her, looking up at the stars “It’s the same sky.”

“Mmm?”

“In the past. In another dimension, but it’s still the same stars in the sky. Look.” he pointed up “It’s like Jason said, there’s the big dipper, and there’s the bear and the Heracles one and that’s the morning star.”

She smiled, “You’re right. I hadn’t noticed.” She paused and took a deep breath “The stars are quite beautiful. You can’t really see them in Gotham. I’d forgotten.” She sat down suddenly looking very tired, like this whole quest she’d been holding it together and now she was finally letting it go, “I used to sit in the sand and come stargazing with Akila.”

Bizarro sat down next to her, “You miss her.” It wasn’t a question but Artemis answered anyway.

“Always.” Artemis whispered, echoing something of a promise between her and Akila.

“Is that what happened with Belyllioth?”

Now Artemis looked down, closing her eyes as she breathed a huge sigh, “I messed up. We kissed and I all but ran away.”

“You make a habit of that.”

“Excuse me?”

“Jason kissed you and you ended up here.” He gestured around at the basically deserted island in another dimension and Artemis laughed.

“It wasn’t exactly the plan.”

“Do you love Belyllioth?”

“That’s not really the point.”

“Isn’t it?”

“She’ll have to go back to the Underworld as soon as this quest is over. And if we do it right, we’ll be heading back home too. How can I even think about starting anything with her when I know what’s coming?”

“You’re scared of getting hurt.”

“No. I’m not scared of anything.” She replied sternly, “There’s Jason to consider. Like you said we kissed but it’s been months, what if he doesn’t even know we’re still alive and he’s moved on.”

Bizarro shook his head, “Jason wouldn’t replace us.”

Artemis sat up, “How do you know what? You know we’re not even the first Outlaws! He had a whole other team before us, his best friends who we _ never _ see and why is that? Are we their replacements?”

Bizarro shook his head again, “Jason doesn’t replace people. He holds on to them for longer than they deserve. I think you do the same. Akila as you knew her would probably want you to be happy.”

“The Akila I knew has been dead for so long I don’t think I even know her anymore. Even before she died we’d become so estranged.” Artemis swallowed thickly, “And I was worried I was just replacing her with Jason and now I’m scared I’m replacing Jason with Bely.”

“Loving someone doesn’t mean replacing someone else.”

Artemis was silent for a moment and pondered this idea but before she could reply Demetria called them all back “We’re giving an offering to the gods, quickly come.”

Everyone, even Belyllioth returned to give their offerings because only a fool would scorn a god with neglect and forgotten prayers.

“As is the custom,” Demetria started, “I offer the first cut of every sacrifice to Hestia, the first and the last, the oldest of Chronos’ children and the goddess of hearth and home. We ask that you get us all home to Thasalla safely and in good time so that we may bask in your presence once again. We offer this boar as a gift to you.” She threw the first cut of fat into the fire and they all watched it burn and smoke. “We offer this second cut to our god and the god of our fathers, Poseidon, protector of our city and the protector of all those who sail the seas. Please help us to steer our ship homeward and may we not be bombarded with bad weather and be given safe travels. We give this third cut to our Lord Father Zeus, king of the gods and god of the skies we ask you to watch over us from above and keep us safe from all harm, may we live to once again to see Zeus Herkeios, the protector of homes, once again in our city-state. We offer this fourth cut to Hermes, the god of travellers and roads, we are on a great journey lord Hermes and we ask for your help and your blessing during these travels. I offer this fifth cut to Artemis, goddess of the wild. As we camp here in the open may you keep us safe from wild beasts and deadly insects so we may sleep under the light of your moon. I offer this sixth cut to Hades, lord of the dead, I wish to keep from seeing you just a little longer but I want to thank you for helping us with this quest and for gifting us Belyllioth, even if just to make sure our deal was settled. I offer the seventh cut to Pallas Athena, may you bless us with your wisdom and strategy and please understand that Artemis did not mean to disrespect you or your grove. Please don’t punish her so much for an accident, don’t make going home any harder than it is by calling in favours of other gods and divine beings.”

Sometimes the gods ignored prayers and sometimes they heard them and still did nothing. This was one of those times. Heartless Pallas turned her face away and turned her nose up at the pitiful seventh offering Demetria had given her Artemis in Olympus turned to her half-sister with a sigh, “Why do you torment her so? Her companions have prayed for your forgiveness.”

“_ She _ has not prayed for my forgiveness.” Athena fumed, “She has not fallen to her knees and begged for my mercy.”

“Will you stop this madness if she does?” The huntress asked, eyebrow raised and not at all looking convinced.

“That’s not the point!”

“So that’s a no.”

Athena growled and stood from her chair in the throne room, it was made of white marble and had her shield with Medusa’s face on it hung on the back so she could grab it easily in times of war, the hideous face was framed by hair of snakes all writhing and wriggling amongst each other and the terrifying expression captured perfectly in metalwork, around the outside of the shield were myths of Athens, her chosen city. There was a lake and an olive tree, the competition between herself and Poseidon that cemented them as enemies for decades when Athens chose her gifts over his. There was another of Triton’s daughter and her old friend Pallas who she had accidentally killed in a sparring match, there was the spider Arachne, forever weaving her webs and there was the destruction of Troy via the Trojan horse, a plan which she had helped to enact and make successful, “I’m going to the library.”

  
  


The questers slept in shifts so that there was always someone on watch, Artemis took the first one and stared at the stars once more thinking about what Bizarro had said and when she could finally hand over to Cassandra and conk out for the night she was out like a light, she woke up to the feeling of a weight on her and her first thought was to panic, she’d clearly been captured during the night but once she cracked open her eyes and fought the assaulting sunlight on her eyeballs she realised that Bely was clinging to her in her sleep. She must have fallen asleep like this after her watch. She wouldn’t be too happy about that but Artemis didn’t want to wake her up, she looked quite cute when she was sleeping. She looked peaceful.

Of course, the peace didn’t last too long. Heron, who had taken the last watch before morning suddenly screeched “Boar attack!”

They all sprung up remarkably quickly for people who had just been sleeping and quickly grabbed shields and spears in order to defend against the boars without killing any more of them. Of course, they’d be angry, they’d woken up to find one of them gone and a group of strangers sitting next to its dead carcass over a burnt-out fire. “Try not to kill them!” Artemis ordered as the boars started tearing up the hill. They were wild boars sure, but Artemis had the high ground.

Artemis, Bizarro, Bely and Heron took the front lines, letting the pigs smash into their shields and trying to keep them back whilst Dios and his sister were furiously trying to restart the fire, desperately striking rock on flint until as if by the miracle of some kind goddess of the hearth a spark took and relit the fire in record time. Caris quickly grabbed a long wooden stick and set one end alight, waving it around at the boars. They went running, terrified of the fire and the heat it emitted, even during the day it was enough to scare off the boars and apart from a few banged-up shields, their camp was perfectly safe.

“Good work guys.” She nodded to everyone before inspecting her shield for damage, the image was busted up but it would still serve its function perfectly, “I feel like that’s a good sign to pack up and try and get back on the seas.”

“Yeah, we need to go.” Carisa was clutching her chest like if she let go, her heart would beat out of her chest, “That was terrifying.” her hand was shaking.

“You ttttthink ttthat was terrifying?” A female voice came from behind them. “You haven’t met me yet.”

Artemis was the first to turn around, and thankfully a lifetime of living with tall amazons meant that she always looked at where a tall person’s eyes would be so she avoided looking into this woman’s eyes by inches but she recognised the snakes writhing on the top of her head and that hissing voice of hers, “MEDUSA! NOBODY LOOK AT HER!”

“Oh ssssso you’ve heard of me. Tttthat makessss tttthissss _ sssso _ much harder.”

Artemis went to do the whole use your shield as a mirror to look at Medusa’s movements and fight her but it was too dented and distorted to be of any use in a battle. Artemis threw it aside and settled for the thin reflection in her sword. She couldn’t help but have a flashback to the gods awful Percy Jackson movie where he’d used the back of his iPhone and wished she’d had a smartphone with a selfie camera right about now. “Medusa, I thought you’d been killed by Perseus?”

She hissed at the name, “Do not mention his name!” She slashed out with her own sword and Artemis only just blocked. She couldn’t fight with her sword and use it to reflect at the same time, she needed to keep her talking until she could think of something else.

“I apologise. I just don’t understand how you’re back.” The two exchanged a few more blows and Artemis hissed as a sword just nicked her exposed arm. It was a small cut but sometimes the smaller ones hurt worse.

“Athena brought me back. She said she was wrong to punish me and she apologised.”

“She admitted her wrongdoing but didn’t... cure your affliction?”

“She said she couldn’t, instead she gave me this island to me. But she warned me that a band of questers and heroes were coming to kill me just like Perseus did! I will not die again at the hands of you so-called heroes! I will not have my head separated from my neck and paraded around like a trophy by the sons of gods! Not again!”

“I am no _ son _ and I have no godly father or mother. Quest Goers though we are, we didn't come here to kill you, we didn’t even know you were here. We’re lost.”

She snorted, “And I am to just believe your words? Heroes are tricky and sneaky. They’ll attack you as you sleep, they’ll attack you in your home when all you’ve ever done is defend yourself.”

“I’d swear it on the Styx. I’d swear it by Zeus Horkios if you want. This is all just some terrible mistake, we were trying to sail _ home _ and something blew us off course right to this island-” As she spoke it suddenly dawned on Artemis what had happened. “Medusa, when did Athena bring you back to life?”

“About a month ago.” Medusa replied confused, she’d seen the change in Artemis as had everyone else.

“And did she say anything? About the underworld about a quest or about a tree?”

“She did actually… she said since Hades was letting wrongdoers go she might as well get me out too.”

Artemis frowned, “Medusa don’t you see? Athena is using you! I’m her enemy too, she’s the one who blew us off course right onto this island where you are so we would come across each other and either you would die or I would.”

“Now you accuse the goddess of lying? She brought me back to life!”

“She’s the goddess of strategy! She could think of this plan in her sleep! Medusa, _ think _ ! You’re being _ used _, she still hasn’t stopped punishing you, only now she’s using you as an assassin instead of just a warning. I’ve been a mercenary for bad people before and it’s not a good feeling, trust me.”

Medusa paused unsure of what to do. “Trust you? I don’t even know you.”

“That’s true, you don’t know me. I’m a bit like you I would think.” Artemis dropped her sword and slowly turned around, keeping her eyes on the ground, “I’m tired of being a pawn of the gods too. She stepped towards her slowly, hands up to show she wasn’t hiding a weapon, “I incurred the wrath of Athena because of something that wasn’t my fault and now she has hounded me to the ends of Greece to punish me. She sends storms and winds when I’m at sea and sends me here to kill or be killed by you. She sets the other gods against me.” As she reached Medusa she pulled her into a hug and the shocked women dropped her sword, Artemis was too focused on the woman in her arms to pay attention to the hooting from a nearby tree and the flutter of telltale wings.

“No one’s hugged me in so long. People are afraid.”  
  


“I’m not afraid of you Medusa. I see you, passed the snakes and the eyes and the stone. You’re not a monster, you’re just a woman. Like me. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and she got mad and now she intends to use us to wipe each other out and frankly, I don’t feel like complying with Petty Pallas today.”

“She said she was sorry.”

“The gods don’t understand the meaning of ‘sorry’. They don’t think mortals are worth their time unless they find us pretty or they want something from us.” Artemis was whispering now, not that it would help. If the gods were listening they would hear her no matter what volume she spoke at.

Medusa buried her head in the crook of Artemis’ neck and Artemis felt wet tears from her eyes. “I’ve been so lonely here. My sisters are not with me.”

“Your sisters? Stheno and-”

“-And Euryale. They were the only ones who… who stayed. I miss them.”

She parted from Artemis and quickly wiped her tears, Artemis looked away to make sure she didn’t feel tempted to look at her tearful eyes, “I wish to give you a gift. To ssspite the war goddessss once more.”

She pulled her sword and Artemis’ entire crew stepped forward to defend her, swords drawn, Bizarro yelped, “Whoa there!”

Medusa held up her hand in the universal sign for ‘wait’, “Relax.” She quickly cut a huge gash in her own palm and let her blood hit the floor, quickly pour the steam water they had collected the day before over the mud and formed a clump of soil with the soil affected by her blood and the water and from that clump sprung a Pegasus.

_commissioned by me art by Itho on Instagram_

Artemis gasped as a beautiful winged horse appeared out of nowhere. It was jet black like the night with four white socks on its legs and a white diamond on its forehead, it’s wings were like that of a large swan, elegant and graceful, the wind tousled his hair to and fro and he jumped up on its hind two legs and whinnied before nuzzling up to Medusa. Its eyes were as green as Artemis’ own eyes and sparkled like the sun glittered off of a clear stream. Medusa whispered something to the winged horse and it trotted over to Artemis and bowed its head low. 

“Ttthisss isss my child, child of my blood and ttthe watersss of Possseidon who damned me to tttthisss infernal ssstate. She offersss her undying fealty to you and your comradesss and she will help you in your coming quest.”

Artemis bowed to the pegasus in return, “I thank you for your loyalty and I promise to take care of you to the best of my ability. I’ll follow you if you follow me.” She turned to Medusa “Does she have a name?”

“She isss yoursss to name.”

Artemis looked back at the dazzling horse before her. Pegasus was the obvious choice but it felt unoriginal. Calling her Gotham flashed through her mind but that would get confusing soon enough. She thought about stealing yet another idea from Percy Jackson and calling her Blackjack but it didn’t suit her the way it suited Percy’s pegasus and then a thought came to her, one of Jason’s ramblings about the bats, “What about Ace?”

The horse whinnied happily and Artemis grinned, “Okay from now on your name is Ace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stole the title from a wonder woman arc, a pretty good one too IMO. That Stoned arc had killer art.


	9. Book IX: Sisterhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artemis had stopped listening after Paradise Island was mentioned. Her eyes were glued to the spot where the island was. It wasn’t hidden yet, cut off from the world with magic mirrors and barriers and sandstorms.
> 
> She was burning to go see them, to see the amazons. It had been too long since she’d seen her sisters, even if these women here and now weren’t the ones she remembered.
> 
> _'a home that was not like before'_  
The Oracle was right. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Spotify playlist for this fic and this chapter's songs are:  
Take me Home, Country Roads, Mountain Man's cover  
and  
Pynk by Janelle Monáe ft Grimes

Medusa walked them to the coast and pointed them in the correct direction of Thasalla, “Be careful which directions you head in, if you get turned around again you could wind up on Circe’s island and your boys will wind up as pigs or you could end up on paradise Island and your boys could end up dead.” She pointed out some locations on the maps but Artemis had stopped listening after Paradise Island was mentioned. Her eyes were glued to the spot where the island was. It wasn’t hidden yet, cut off from the world with magic mirrors and barriers and sandstorms.

She was burning to go see them, to see the amazons. It had been too long since she’d seen her sisters, even if these women here and now weren’t the ones she remembered.

_ a home that was not like before _

The Oracle was right. Again.

She was silent for as long as it took for Medusa’s island to disappear completely from the horizon and for them to return to being completely alone in the middle of the vast ocean. No one mentioned her odd quietness or the wistful way she looked out into the sea. Artemis climbed onto the edge of the bow spirit and sat down. She had never missed home this much when she had been in the same dimension as it. Maybe because then it was her choice not to return and now she really couldn’t.

The wind picked up her hair and it streamed behind her like a dancer’s ribbon in the middle of an intricate routine.

“What’s got you so upset?”

Artemis started and turned to see Belyllioth leaning against the edge of the boat beside her, she hadn’t even heard her approach. Anyone looking at them would have thought they looked like a very strange and very sad Titanic. Not that The Titanic wasn’t already sad. “What was that?”

“You’ve been acting strange since we left Medusa’s.”

“You’ve been watching me since we left Medusa’s?”

Bely blushed and looked away, “It didn’t take that much time to figure out.”

Artemis sighed, “Do you think the crew would hate it if we took a quick detour?”

“I think they’re your crew and they’d do whatever the heck you told them to do.”

Artemis shook her head, “I haven’t been a general in a long time. The last time I led I almost led us into an unnecessary war for a despot queen.”

“You’re not the_ general_ of this ship.”

“Well I’m not the captain either.”

“No, you’re the leader. _ You _ are in charge, Artemis. _ You _ led this quest. _ You _ got Hades to part with his most prized jewel. _ You _ defeated Medusa without spilling a drop of blood and _ you _ navigated the sea of monsters without getting us all trapped. _ You _ kept your whole crew alive. You’ve done what Odysseus and Aeneas and Orpheus and all the other great wanderers and heroes have failed to do.”

“We’ve done so much and come so far but it’s been months and I’ve achieved about 1 of my many objectives.”

“Questing takes time. I’ve spoken to my fair share of dead heroes, the Trojan War lasted 10 years.”

“I want to go to Paradise Island.”

“Then go tell them that. They’re worried about you.”

Artemis spun around on her perch and faced back into the ship only to come face to face with Belyllioth who had shifted to get out of her way. The two stared at each other for a moment, faces inches apart and Bely sandwiched in between her legs. “Bely… about before…”

“You don’t have to-”

“I want to.” She paused, staring deeply into her eyes. Artemis had thought they were brown but looking closer they were golden, with flecks of green. Her eyebrows were set on ridges and her nose was flatter than any human she’d seen, the nostrils more open. Her lips were large and plump and even though she’d never witnessed her moisturise them, they looked perfectly balmed. “I’ll be leaving here soon and you’ll be going back home and I didn’t want to start something that would leave us both hurt but I think it’s already too late for that. I’ve been living a life of ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ since I was born and I don’t want you, us, to be something I regret not trying. The way I hope you feel about me, that’s how I feel about you.”

“That’s impossible.” Bely whispered. “It’s impossible for you to feel about me how I feel about you because I’m crazy about you.”

Artemis grinned, “I want to try this. Us I mean. I want to give us a try. I want you Belyllioth.”

“I want you too.” Bely leaned in and kissed her and Artemis held her tight as they embraced each other tightly. Bely’s hand cupped her face and Artemis, who was still sitting on the edge of the boat, had to hold the daimon girl tightly to stop herself from going overboard. 

They leapt apart when thundering applause from the deck shook them out of their stupor. The entire crew was standing there, clapping and grinning. “About time!” Cassandra laughed hysterically.

Bizarro gave a fingers in mouth very 21st-century concert whistle. When had he learned that? He also gave her a thumbs up and a wink and Artemis felt her face heat up, goddess alive was she really blushing like a schoolgirl with a crush?

“_ Anyways, _” She coughed awkwardly trying to keep some semblance of superiority over the crew as its leader, “would anyone be opposed to a quick stop at Paradise Island?”

“Um…” Dios raised his hand unsurely, “I’m pretty sure _ they’d _ be opposed to _ us _stopping by.” He gestured at Heron and Bizarro who were nodding in agreement.

“Yes, I suppose that would be a problem.” Artemis sighed. It was wishful thinking to think she could see the amazons here.

“Maybe we could just stay on the ship.” Bizarro suggested.

Heron agreed, “They’re on an island which means the ship won’t be able to get too close anyway You’ll have to take the rowboat but it will mean we should be fine to stay on board.”

“Girls, are you up for a trip to see the amazons?”

They all looked at each other and nodded and then Carisa asked, “I’m definitely up for it but I’m not sure I understand the purpose of the trip.”  
  


She hesitated for a second and Bizarro nodded encouragingly so Artemis started telling her story, “You know of my home, of the city that has been destroyed but none of you know of its origin. There was a city, it was strong and powerful and peaceful and people took advantage of that peace. It had two rulers, sisters, who ruled well.

One day a great hero came and he spoke of peace and love and one of the queens fell for him and his tricks and his lies. He betrayed her, bound her subjects in chains and made them slaves and her sister fought back with violence and fury and an army of their subjects who had resisted being bonded. The captured queen called to her gods for mercy and one goddess helped them, Athena, and granted them safety and immortality so long as they lived in peace but her sister took back their safety and their freedom with her own two hands. She resented the gods and their heroes and their ‘safety’ and she left with her army and they wandered _ for centuries _ until they reached my home and founded the city. 

We were a city of warriors at war. A city of little kindness and a penchant for wars and we were bitter about our sister city and their pristine marble palaces when we lived in the dust and the sand and had to fight for everything we had and everything we were, the only _ true _ amazons and yet _ we _ were called the fakes-”

“Amazons?” Dios asked shocked, “You’re an amazon?”

“I… I am not part of the group that you call the amazons but yes, I am an amazon.”

“So is this your home?” Carisa asked, pointing vaguely in the direction of the island.

“It is not, it's a home a lot like my own. But if I fail this quest, it may be the closest I’ll ever get.” Artemis looked out into the horizon. She knew how these guys felt about amazons. Would they think less of her? Would they refuse to follow her? Would they accuse her of putting their home in danger when men were constantly threatened by Thasalla and their female monarch and now here she was consorting with Amazons.

“You’re homesick.” Cassandra read from her subdued expressions. “I think we’re all a little homesick and our homes are just a few days sailing away.”

“You always hesitate when you talk about your sister city. Do you hate them that much?” Demetria asked, thinking back to when Artemis had first told her story to Queen Andromeda.

“I did, once. Where I’m from, we don’t call them our sister city. They are our founders and we can never erase that from our history no matter how hard we try, but we as a people resent everything about them from their immortality to their gods to the way they chose to completely cut themselves off from the rest of the world. We do trade where I’m from, mate with men from Egypt and other surrounding countries in order to keep our population strong. 

My sister- my sister from my sister city is the one who keeps referring to us as such. I used to hate her, their champion, she was everything I had wanted to be and everything I failed to achieve and she just stood there trying to help me while I tried to punch her teeth out.

I really used to hate her. 

I’d give anything to see her now.” Artemis looked away, Diana had once said she was the only amazon who truly understood her, the only amazon who knew what it was like to truly live in man’s world. She’d given her a lasso to honour their bond. Artemis had left it behind in their base when it had been destroyed. She wondered if it had fallen through with her or if it had exploded in the blast. Either way, Diana wasn’t here now. All there was was the island of Amazons who had never even heard of her.

  
  
  


Artemis rode Ace to the island, she figured they would all have a hard time trying to get a large flying horse onto a small rowboat but she rode low and slow, close to them as they rode across the space between the ship and the island. 

_(I originally drew Ace as a regular Pegasus because I forgot that I'd made Ace black. Also I can't draw Pegesi so I drew a unicorn instead. She doesn't actually have a horn and she does in fact have wings, just imagine I drew it)_

When they reached the shore the reception was about as friendly as Artemis had expected and it almost made her crack into a smile at the familiarity of it all. General Philippus, one of Hippolyta’s top women greeted them with a spear to the face and a contingent of archers pointing their arrows at them. “State your business.” She commanded, the authority was clear in her voice as she raked her eyes over the 5 women and their flying horse.

“We come as Supplicants, asking for supplies. We were lost and in the time it took us to get back on course our supplies dwindled. We hope to take advantage of your kindness here.”

“We aren’t known for our kindness here.” Another high-level guard spoke up. From her short-cropped afro hair and the golden armour that adorned her body, Artemis could only guess this must be Nubia.

“You’re known for your peace.” Artemis responded, “And your dedication to the gods. Do you intend to violate Zeus Xenios by turning us away?” Thankfully for everyone, Xenia, or kindness to strangers, was very important to those who followed the Greek gods.

Philippus raised an eyebrow, “Do you even know where ‘here’ is?”

“Themyscira.” Artemis responded pointedly, looking passed all the guards at the rising Greek landscape almost built into the rolling hills and mountainous structure of the land, the way lush green forests gave way to huge white structures made of marble and sandstone and the way statues of the goddesses were raised above all else so she could see them from miles away.

The guards all seemed shocked that she knew the name Themyscira, most people only knew of this place by its moniker ‘Paradise Island’ “You’ve been here before?” Philippus asked, lowering her staff slightly.

“I knew someone.” She replied as vaguely as possible. She knew Themyscrian history backwards and forwards but this was a different Themyscira and they might have a different history and she didn’t want to trip herself up and put her crew in danger by being caught up in a lie.

She paused and then beckoned them forwards. “Come.”

They marched them up a hill towards the palace and in the sweltering sun it was quite the task, Artemis had walked across deserts, she was raised to do this but the other girls, even Bely who wasn’t used to such warm conditions, were all struggling. Artemis grabbed Belillioth’s hand in her own under the guise of helping her keep up and basically forcing her to speed up by dragging her but she also caught Demetria’s hand and did the same because the girl was genuinely struggling with the trek to the palace.

Once inside the palace, Artemis requested water for her crew and she watched as Ace was taken to the royal stables by an amazon who seemed to absolutely adore him, he would definitely be taken care of.

Bely looked around wearily and Artemis leaned over to whisper, “You ok?”

“Yes. It’s just this place is modelled on Olympus too, like Hades’ Palace. It’s a bit uncanny.”

An amazon returned with a tray of drinks and Philippus slid away, probably to report to the queen as they all gulped down the cold water. Demetria sighed, “I thought the hills in Thasalla were bad.”

That got some laughter from the group as they fixed themselves up. Belyllioth sighed loudly, “The upper world is too sunny.”

Artemis smiled at them and laughed, “You guys think this is hot? You should see my home.”

Philippus entered the hall and invited them to follow her, the guards flanked them, two in front and two behind with the General leading them and when they arrived at the throne room the huge golden doors were thrown open by two guards armed with spears. They all entered the room as the Queen stood from her throne. Artemis knelt and her crew followed suit.

“Rise travellers. I am Hippolyta, Queen of Themyscira. This is my general Philippus, General Nubia and my dearest sisters Antiope and Atalanta.”

Artemis head swivelled towards Atalanta and there she was in all her beauty, her blonde hair streaming out behind her, her silver armour shined to perfection, her eyes were a startling blue and her lips a rosy pink tint like she had just kissed a red rose and the colour had stained her lips. She had freckles across her nose and cheeks and her expression was stern although she didn’t look mean even as she observed her visitors. She looked younger than the last time she had seen her, of course, the last time she had seen her she’d been fighting for her life against a powerful god, had been away from home for centuries and had just come back from a war against her own queen as well as a shot to the head with a gun. Of course, she’d look younger and happier, here at home with her sisters at peace centuries in the past.

Artemis couldn’t help the question that poured out of her mouth towards Atalanta, “I thought you left Themyscira with Penthesilia when she went to fight at Troy?”

Atalanta seemed very surprised Artemis would know that. She glanced at Hippolyta who was decidedly not looking back at her sister and instead focusing on Artemis before finally answering, “I considered it, but my place is with my sisters. We’re a sisterhood after all.”

“What brings you here?” Hippolyta asked them all, sitting in her throne, regally. Having seen the way Andromeda carried herself and then observing Hippolyta it was almost like they’d been to the same Queen school.

“We were heading back home to Thasalla and we saw on the map that Paradise Island was close by. We got a bit...lost on the way back and our stores are running low. We hoped to take advantage of your hospitality and the laws of Xenia.”

Hippolyta nodded, shifting in her seat, “ I shall prepare a feast and rooms for you, my guests, and Atalanta will help you with supplies for your ship to last till you get back to Thasalla.”

Hippolyta sent the rest of her crew to settle into their rooms but she sent Artemis off with Atalanta, clearly the blonde had been given the job of sussing her out, although why they didn’t just use her lasso of truth Artemis didn’t know. “So, how did you know that the island was called Themyscira?” Atalanta asked her as they strolled through the grounds to the food storeroom.

“I… knew someone from Themyscira.” She replied, trying to be as vague as possible.

Atalanta drew from that statement what she wanted to, and what made sense to her, “You were a friend of Penthesilia?”

Artemis didn’t answer that, she didn’t want to outright lie in case it came back to bite her in the butt and again Atalanta drew from that silence what she wanted. “Why weren’t you out there? With them? Starting a secondary group of amazons?”

“I thought about leaving to fight but leaving for good? Leaving my sisters? I could never. The amazons are supposed to be united. I can’t be the one responsible for tearing them up.”

“But they’re already torn! You did leave your sisters! Penthesilia and her band of warriors fought and died out there because the rest of you weren’t there to help them!”

“I am not just the Queen’s sister, I am a _ Princess _ of Themyscira. I have a sacred duty to the Island and to the wellbeing of those that inhabit it, I can not risk our survival to save a few wayward women, I can not put the life of Penthesilia over those who remained loyal!”

“So you get to decide who lives and who dies?”

“I was doing what was best for my people!”

“You were doing what_ they did _!” Artemis yelled pointing at a perfectly placed huge marble statue of Athena, “They think they know what’s best for us but they sit in their hallowed thrones casting down judgments on situations they couldn’t possibly understand! They fated Troy to lose, the Trojans to be destroyed!”

“And if we had followed Penthesilia we would have been destroyed alongside Paris and Hector and all their Trojan Princes!”

“There never would have _ been _ a war if not for the gods!”

“I will not hear this godly slander any longer! I will not allow this blasphemy!” Atalanta all but yelled, she glanced fearfully up at the statue as if it would come to life and smite them both down where they stood, which to be fair to her _was_ possible, it had happened before. “I don’t know what Penthesilia said to you in Troy but the Amazons are a pious people. We do not question the will of the gods. We will not.”

“Of course.” Artemis conceded through gritted teeth, “I understand. My apologies. Let’s continue to the storeroom.”

Atalanta led her the rest of the way in silence and helped her gather grain and cured meat and fish and fruits that would last a few days into bags and sacks and barrels with the polite diligence of an unhappy maid. The blonde handed her a case of wine and gave her a barrel of freshwater for the journey, “You know your anger won’t help you much.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re angry. At the gods, at the men, at Hades knows who else. It consumes you.”

“I’m not angry. I’m done. I’m done with the gods.”

“And with men?”

“I- no. Not all the men in Man’s world are bad. But it’s hard to tell the good from the bad sometimes. Your own queen Hippolyta and your sister Antiope, they both fell prey to Greek treachery. They were almost torn apart by it, they were bound and imprisoned, the golden girdles stolen!”

“You know an awful lot about Amazon affairs.” Atalanta sniped suspiciously. Clearly she didn’t like bringing that up.

“Apologies if I pressed too far. Clearly this is a sore spot for you and your sisters. I just don’t know how you did it.”

“Did what?”

“Stayed.” Artemis sighed, “I would have been done with this place! I would have left this place and my sisters and fought with everything I had to make sure I was never at the mercy of gods or men ever again.”

“As I said before, you shouldn’t let anger control you. It’s a very powerful emotion, it should guide you but don’t let it rule you. The men who did all of those things are long gone and it’s unlikely we would beat them on their home turf, surrounded by our enemies. Putting myself in exile because I was angry at them would be foolish.”

Artemis clenched her fists, suddenly angry that the women who had founded them, who had started them on the path of founding their own tribe was standing there before her and calling them foolish, this was her entire history, everything she had ever been taught and everything she had ever believed crumbling before her eyes, “You think it’s foolish to take back power?”

“I wouldn’t be taking back power from those men, I would be taking power from the amazons by splitting us into even smaller groups. We would be weakening ourselves when we need to come together, united.”

Artemis thought of Diana in Bana-Mighdall, the suspicion that followed the Princess through their town centre all the way up to the palace, the hatred of Hippolyta that had been drilled into her since she’d been born. “And what if it’s too late for that?”

“It’s never too late. Home is always home.”

“I think it’s too late for me.” Bana-Mighdall would never reconcile with Themyscira, the scars run too deep. The Banas aren’t immortal like they are, everything they knew was the product of generations of storytelling. The Themyscirans remembered and they looked at the Banas like misbehaving children.

“I don’t know your situation but I’m sure that’s not true.” They helped a contingent of porters ferry the supplies down to the docks so that when they left they could simply put them on their boat. Thasalla wasn’t far so they didn’t need much.

Why was she even so focused on Bana Mighdall and Themyscira and the idea of reuniting them. She hadn’t seen Bana-Mighdall as her home in years. Surely her home now was with Jason and Bizarro in Gotham or wherever they ended up. It wasn’t her place to try to lead the Banas in anything, especially in trying to make peace with Hippolyta’s lot. They wouldn’t want to, _ she _ didn’t want to. She may have reconciled with Diana but she still found the Princess’ holier than thou act grating, she couldn’t imagine having to put up with an island full of women like that.

She doubted the Banas would ever want to go back and she doubted Themyscira would welcome them as openly as they tried to preach they would. And yet here was Atalanta standing before her telling her that they would. That she should at least try.

Her hero and their founder was standing there telling her point-blank what she needed to do except it wasn't her Atalanta. This woman didn’t know Bana-Mighdall. She didn’t know the fight of finding a home in the Middle East, didn’t know everything it took to establish themselves.

Atalanta showed her to their rooms and Artemis was unsurprised that a few guards were stationed around them although she was surprised to see Belyllioth sitting near them on a window ledge, polishing her sword and keeping an eye on them. She had taken up a guard position over the other girls and was watching the Queen’s guards warily.

Carisa whispered to Artemis, “I tried to get her to stand down but she says she doesn’t trust someone else guards to guard us.”

Artemis nodded in understanding, “It's a good policy in life, you can never be too careful.” It may seem like overkill but these guards were guarding the Queen, the palace and the Amazons first. Their group were the second priority at best, enemies at worst. “I’m going to have a bath and then I’ll relieve her of her duties and take up watch myself.”

The serving-girl-turned-quester sighed like she was done with the both of them, “Not you too! Artemis-!”

“Bely has a point!” Artemis raised her hands in the universal sign for surrender. “It's a good practice for life.”

“You trusted us in Thasalla.” Demetria pointed out.

“It was either die of sleep deprivation or trust that Queen Andromeda wouldn’t murder me in my sleep. There were pretty good odds that I’d wake up the next morning. Amazons are less friendly with outsiders, they get a lot of visitors with bad intentions.”

“Fine, well I actually drew you a bath like old times so that these amazon girls wouldn’t somehow poison you or boil you to death or whatever it is you and Bely are so paranoid about so enjoy that while you can because the queen expects us to be at her feast on time.”

“Ah yes, the feat, the one thing I don’t miss about castles.”

“You don’t like the food?”

“The food is exquisite. The company and the conversation can sometimes be a bit lacking. I’m sure this should be interesting though, Atalanta and I had quite the conversation.” On that note Artemis gave a small salute and ducked into her guest room, as promised there was a warm bath waiting for her and she quickly stripped off and sunk into the clear steamy water.

Questing was a messy job and washing completely was pretty hard to do on a boat, they were surrounded by water but none of it was useful for literally anything other than transport. She wanted to relax into the waters but she was on a timeline and this wasn’t the place to let her guard down so she washed thoroughly and climbed out, towelling down, and wrapping her hair in the hair towel thing with great difficulty.

She pulled on the white peplos the amazons had left for her but ignored the sandals in favour of her regular black boots with the white and red shin guards. They’d never let her down yet, she’d stick with them. She’d pulled on the boots just in time for Bely wrapped on her door and pop her head in “You decent?”

“You’re meant to check before you come in,” Artemis laughed, “I could have been naked.”

“Oh perish the thought.” Bely faked being scandalised.

“Come.” She waved her further into the room and wrapped her in a hug, “It’s nice… this being almost home. And being with you.”

“This is almost home for me too. It’s a lot brighter, yes, but it’s much more like the Underworld than most people would care to admit.”

“Is it time for the feast?”

“They said they would send for us, I think we still have a little time.”

They were quiet for a moment and then Belyllioth blurted out “What if we stayed?”

“What?”

“Here on Themyscira or in Thasalla. What if I stayed up here in the world of the living?”

“Bely… I have to go home… I thought you understood.”

“But why? Why do you have to go home?”

“Because it’s home.”

“You’ve left your home before! For your mission, because of your love, why not stay for me?”

Artemis was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Why didn’t she stay? What was so pressing that she couldn’t just stay here? What was so important?

Jason came to mind instantly but with Bely currently enveloped in her arms it seemed unfair to consider him in this but even as she tried to come up with other reasons, her mind kept returning to him. Getting Bizarro home, of course, would be a priority but knowing him if she stayed, he’d stay with her. Bana-Mighdall she had long left behind but they were in the middle of a crisis, then again would she even be able to help? Diana Prince but she’d lived most of her life without her and she could live the rest of it without her too.

There was nothing holding her to her earth. Nothing holding her to Gotham.

Jason.

_ Lose a home that was not like before _

Jason

“I can’t stay here Belyllioth.” Akila said she had a greater purpose. One that had no space for her, maybe there was no space for Bely either. Maybe there was. “Come with me. To my world.”

“I don’t know if I can like on a metaphysical level. I’m bound to Lord Hades, up here I’m in the realm of the other gods but in your world?”

“There gods are in my world too, if it meant you could come with me I would prostrate myself before the Greek Pantheon and beg on my knees.”

“I will have to ask lord Hades to release me.”

“Do you think he will?”

Before Bely could answer there was another knock at the door, Carisa with a guard right behind her entered the room, Carisa looked put off by how closely she was being watched but she tried to ignore her “The food is ready, Queen Hippolyta requests us in the dining room.”

The two generals stepped away from each other at the intrusion and ended their conversation on that pressing question, “Then let’s go!” Artemis ordered, not wanting to talk more about what she would do if Bely came with her, how Jason would react, how _ she _ would react.

  
  


The feast was just as fancy and ostentatious as Artemis had thought it would be, every important amazon on the island was there from Queen Hippolyta to the princesses; Antiope and Atalanta, to the Generals Philippus and Nubia to the seer, the blacksmith, the captain of the Archers, the head of the Queen’s guard and the chief Librarian, Alexa. Diana had told Artemis about Alexa once, how they looked remarkably similar but probably wouldn’t get along since she abhorred violence in any way, although if the semi-awkward conversation about different kinds of poetry was any indication, they’d actually get on quite well. Of course Artemis had to make sure she didn’t bring up poets from the future because that would be hard to explain other than coming off as pretentious and saying ‘you probably haven’t heard of them.’

At some point, the polite chit chat ceased and the Queen pivoted to more serious conversations “Thasalla is at war currently, how is Queen Andromeda?”

Artemis deferred to Carisa and Demetria for the answer, she hadn’t even known about the war until she’d left. Demetria, being from the palace answered sadly, “Honestly, it’s not looking good. Usually, a kingdom of our size and wealth in a war like this would have more support from neighbouring Polis but everyone’s too scared to side with us because we have a woman in charge and we’re so close to the amaz-” She stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Artemis for help.

Artemis puts down her cup to rescue Demetria, the poor girl was afraid to offend the amazons, which was a valid fear, but it’s not like they didn’t know what people thought of them, “Most people are afraid that if they side with Andromeda, it will somehow make them amazon sympathisers. They ridicule her from battlefields and war meetings because of it and she has no children to try and forge an alliance with, if she takes a husband it’s likely they’ll try to usurp her and so she’s stuck with no heirs, no allies and no aid.”

Atalanta frowned, “That’s not right.”

Artemis sighed, “At this point, the amazons are probably the only people who_ would _ help her.”

Antiope added, “But we won’t.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, “You wouldn’t even help your own sisters in a war campaign, of course you wouldn’t help us.”

Hippolyta’s mood changed in an instant, her regal expression dropped into a scowl and she leaned forward dangerously in her chair, “Excuse me?”

Before an argument could break out there was a flash of light and suddenly two young girls, both redheads appeared by the door of the feast room. One had her hair tied up in a ponytail, was dressed in a silver peplos and had a bow and quiver slung across her back; the other had her hair down in ringlets and was dressed in a long orange hooded dress, almost like a poncho down to her feet with just a simple string around her waist.

Everyone was silent for a moment before it clicked in everyone’s head what was happening. People were practically throwing themselves on the ground in an effort to kneel when they realised that the two girls were none other than the virgin goddesses Artemis and Hestia.

“Rise sisters.” Hestia commanded in a way that made it seem more of a request than a demand. “I’d hate to interrupt dinner too much, a feast is family time, after all, a time when we celebrate home.”

The goddess Artemis waved her hand over the table and it grew by two places, magicking a space on either side of Artemis Grace. They each took a seat next to her and Artemis sent a panicked look at Belyllioth as they settled in but she just shrugged and mouthed_ ‘Go with it’. _ “Lady Artemis, Lady Hestia, to what do we owe the pleasure?” She asked, glancing over at the Amazon leadership to see what they were thinking and they looked just as confused as she felt.

“You do dear.” Hestia replied warmly, placing a hand on her arm, “We’ve been watching your situation and we’ve been watching Thasalla. I am a goddess of hearth and home and it pains me to see you separated from yours, it pains me to see you struggle so hard to get back and have your plans dashed over and over again by my niece.”

The goddess of the moon nodded in agreement, “My brother told me about you, I’m sorry about him by the way. As I’m sure you’ve heard, your arrival caused quite a stir on Olympus. Athena is angry at Andromeda for giving you shelter and aid and as punishment has deemed them to lose their war but Queen Andromeda has often prayed to me and as a maiden, I am sympathetic to her plight, people don’t take well to unmarried women, especially those in charge. Since you’ve been gone some things have changed. The Queen went to the front lines, led the charge personally and like an amazon she fought hard however, she has had to return to the palace to recover.”

“Recover?” Demitria asked, worried, “What happened?”

“I shall leave that information for her to reveal, I suspect she’ll want to tell you herself. I am here because she not only prayed for her Polis and the war but she also prayed for your quest. I have come to impart a message and a warning for everyone. We are all here women. We are all trying to move the sisterhood forward, the Amazons who, like me, reject the company of men, the citizens of Thasalla who support their queen, Artemis and her work as a warrior, but a sisterhood does not work if we are not all supporting each other. I have many regrets in my immortal life, my most pronounced being Callisto. I’m sure you have all heard how one of my hunters was tricked by Zeus and fell pregnant by him and how Hera and I turned her into a bear as punishment. She was fooled by my father but rather than be angry at _ him, _ I punished her when I should have stood by her side. She made a mistake, yes, broke my rules but she was my sister and I promised to protect her and I did not. I punished her because I was angry, I let my anger cloud my judgement and it cost her dearly. We can not change the past but we can fix the future. Penthesilia left Themyscira against your judgement to fight and none of you stood by her and she died.”

Hestia continued, “She died far from home alongside men who would all die for each other, who would all fight to the death to receive a body for burial and Penthesilia was left out there for the birds and the dogs because her family was not with her. We don’t say this to stir up bad feelings or to shame you, we say this because another woman is at war right now with no brotherhood or family to protect her. You can’t change the past but you can fix the future, Andromeda’s future. She needs a sisterhood.”

Hippolyta gasped, “You want the Amazons to involve ourselves in the affairs of men? To fight a war for a woman we’ve never even met.”

The Virgin Artemis nodded, “I will not force you to do anything, especially as helping Andromeda would mean working against Athena, but I ask that you think about it.”

Atalanta asked, “Why does Athena hate Queen Andromeda so much, I’ve heard good things about Andromeda.”

Artemis, the goddess of the moon, scoffed, “She is being petty. A strange magic transported Artemis here over her sacred grove and it destroyed one of her olive trees. She will not see reason, she has gone to Zeus to have her slowed down, she has reformed Medusa to try and kill them all, she has turned kings against her. She has done everything in her power to stop her and still she has gotten this far.”

“Well I’ve had help, I never would have gotten this far without them.” the out of place amazon admitted, smiling at her team, or at least the members who were on the island.

Hippolyta shook her head, “Lady Artemis, Lady Hestia I’m sorry but I can not do what you ask! I can’t lead my people in a war, I will not.”

Hestia nodded sadly, “I understand sister, just think about it. And Artemis,” she turned to the Outlaw, “Home isn’t always the place you’re born and it’s not always the place you’re needed most. Sometimes home really is where your heart is. So who has your heart, decide that and the rest will come.”

Artemis tried to respond, to ask her how she was supposed to decide something as complicated as the matters of the heart but there was a flash of light and both goddesses were gone.

The rest of the meal went by in awkward silence, everyone thinking about what the gods had said. Atalanta worrying that she really had done the wrong thing when she hadn’t followed Penthesilia to Troy, thinking of her bodying becoming a carrion feast for wild birds and vultures, her lying on the battlefield, her armour taken as some man’s trophy, her hair cut as proof, no burial by her Trojan so-called allies, no respect from her enemies. She didn’t finish her food and left quickly, Antiope went to follow her but Hippolyta stopped her, “Let her go. She needs a moment.”

The wayward amazon stood soon after, “Queen Hippolyta, I’m sorry my presence here has caused all of this.”

“This feast has been quite eventful, yes, but you are not to blame. The goddesses do as they please. I apologise once again that we won’t be of any use to you in the war but I simply can not in good conscience get my people involved.”

Artemis nodded, “I understand. You have a responsibility.” She sensed that whilst Hippolyta was genuinely sorry, she also wanted them gone but was too polite to tell them outright that they’d overstayed their welcome. “We should be on our way anyways. Andromeda will need our help.”

They left quickly, making sure to pour a libation for good winds and calm seas as they made the last stretch of their journey home Carisa filled the boys in on everything that had happened as they sailed and Artemis returned to her place on the bow of the ship and remained in deep contemplation as she considered Hestia’s words and the conversation she’d had with Atalanta.


	10. Book X: Of Arms and Women

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I MUST return to the frontlines Artemis and I would like you to join my honour guard and make sure I’m safe out there.” Artemis thought of her yet to be finished quest, of Belyllioth of Jason, of everything. “We are gearing up for a big battle in just one weeks time. I have sent out one final plea to all of our trading allies and all of Mesyra’s enemies but it is unlikely they will respond. If we lose this battle we lose any tactical advantage in this war, if we lose this it’s over.”
> 
> “Then we can’t lose.”
> 
> “If only it were that easy.” Andromeda smiled sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Spotify playlist for this fic, this chapter's songs are:  
This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars  
and  
The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy

The welcoming they received was a lot warmer than the one she'd received than when she’d first arrived in the city. Word spread of their return very quickly and by the time they reached the palace a crowd had gathered to cheer them, they oohed and ashes at the bulwark Bizarro and Belyllioth’s daimon teeth but unlike before they weren’t pointing in disgust and disdain, they were excited. Their questing heroes had brought back a General of Hades and the champion Bizarro and they were fascinated.

Andromeda greeted them at the door, hugging her old serving girl Demetria and her trusted ship captain Heron before greeting Artemis and the other Thasallians and finally introducing herself to Bizarro and Bely. “So you found your friend, I’m glad.” Andromeda commented as they walked deeper into the castle.

“And the war m’lady? How are you doing?”

“Ah so you heard about the war. I had hoped to keep you ignorant of that just a little bit longer.”

Artemis nodded in understanding, “Can we talk?” She asked, ushering her away from the team and the attendants that followed the Queen everywhere.

“Of course.” Andromeda replied. “Tell me about the status of your quest.”

Artemis filled her in on all the details, on Athena’s hatred of the two of them, of her deal with Hades, of the contest she had won and the visit to Themyscira, she told her about Hestia and Artemis and Medusa and filled her in on Belyllioth although she left out their new found relationship.

In return Andromeda told her about the war effort “Mesyra wants to take us over and they want _ me _ dead. If it continues as it has been they’ll have succeeded.”

“So why have you come away from the front line? Are you okay?”

Andromeda’s eyes dropped to the ground, she looked upset “Poseidon paid me a visit. As our patron god he saw I had a problem and he took it upon himself to solve it.”

“A problem? Your only problem is lack of allies and lack of an heir… oh.”

“Lord Poseidon has _graciously_ granted Thasalla a prince.” She didn’t sound grateful, she sounded resentful and rightfully so.

“Did he force himself on you?” The gods could be nice and useful when they wanted to but they had very _very_ spotty histories when it came to consent, Medusa being the most famous example of one of Poseidon’s conquests. Of course her mistake had been being raped in the Temple of Athena of all places. The virgin goddess hadn’t seen her innocence in the whole ordeal and had instead cursed her with stone eyes and sent a hero after her to chop off her head. Why did it suddenly feel like history was repeating itself?

“That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I will have a child and that there is a war and I need to deal with both and I could really use your help.”

“You have it.”

“Good. I must return to the front line soon-”

“What? Andromeda, you would put yourself _and the baby_ in harm's way!”

“I _ MUST _return to the frontlines Artemis and I would like you to join my honour guard and make sure I’m safe out there.” Artemis thought of her yet to be finished quest, of Belyllioth of Jason, of everything. “We are gearing up for a big battle in just one weeks time. I have sent out one final plea to all of our trading allies and all of Mesyra’s enemies but it is unlikely they will respond. If we lose this battle we lose any tactical advantage in this war, if we lose this it’s over.”

“Then we can’t lose.”

“If only it were that easy.” Andromeda smiled sadly. Clearly she had made peace with losing, made peace with her own death at the hands of the Mesyran king.

“If you’re so content to lose then why not just surrender?!”

“Content to lose? I am anything but content to lose! This is the kingdom my father fought for in the Civil War! The kingdom he died for! I was raised to rule this kingdom and defend it with my life, if there is even a chance that we can win I will take it even if it means bringing about my own destruction! There is no sacrifice I would not make for this Polis, no deed or gesture too grand to protect it, no battle I would not fight to defend it, no one person too important to stop me saving it. The kingdom of my father and my father’s father and his father before that was forged through their blood and sweat and tears and I will not give it up, I will not give in until I have put in just as much if not more of myself into keeping it; I will not sentence Thasallian women to a life of rape and servitude at the hands of Mesyran soldiers and I _ will not _ condemn my people to the oppressive rule of the Mesyran king! As long as I am still breathing I will fight for this kingdom, for my kingdom! I will not give in, I will not give up and I will not surrender! I am not content to lose Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, I am content to die fighting.”

_ **(Made on a She-ra themed princess maker)** _

Artemis was shocked by Andromeda’s speech, all things considered, she didn’t know a huge deal about the Queen and her background, all she knew is what others had told her about Thasalla in their own stories like Cassandra’s grandfather helping Andromeda’s father in the Civil War. She knew she cared about her kingdom but it had almost become secondary in Artemis’ mind, she hadn’t realised that everything she did she did for Thasalla, even helping them on their quest had not been completely selfless, it had earned her loyalty and it had gained her favour from Poseidon. “You won’t die fighting because I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

Andromeda and Artemis grasped forearms and nodded solemnly to each other, an understanding passing between them. “Thank you.”

No one responded to Andromeda’s pleas, or at least no one responded positively. No one offered soldiers or aid passed their regular trade and the responses they got back were all so similar it was clear they’d all consulted with each other before deciding not to help. Artemis and Bely had joined Andromeda in the war room, the two out of place generals trying to get up to speed on the entire Thasallian war effort and prepare for this monumental battle on the borders of Thasalla. Andromeda suspected they’d fight on the Fields of Ares right next to PLACE. It wasn’t far so the army hadn't even deployed yet but they were all preparing to do so at a moments notice with a small squadron watching over the area to make sure no one surprised them when they got there.

Which was why when a messenger burst into the war room, out of breath and panting and ranting about a trick, everyone was surprised.

“Speak plainly!” Andromeda ordered as everyone struggled to understand him.

“It was a trick your highness, the Mesyrans never planned to meet us on the Field of Ares, they are coming from the North!”

“The North?” Artemis exclaimed, “You mean they marched _ around _ us and we didn’t know?”

Andromeda glared down at the map on the table in front of her and pointed her dagger at the kingdoms surrounding them “They would have had to have marched through the territories of all of these kingdoms to reach our Northern borders, they would have had to gotten the support of Dorada, Marisos, Trebes and Tylias to get here. All kingdoms who said they wished they could help but could not risk it, all cowards!” She flung the pieces meant to represent their armies off the board and onto the floor.

Artemis paced next to her, “We don’t have time for anger, you need to sound the alarms! Get everyone who lives outside of the walls to safety.”

“You’re right, sound the alarms! Send three quarters of the army to the Northern field of Aleos and send the other quarters to the North Gate inside of the walls to wait as backup. Send the archers to the North Wall and make sure that there are adequate sentries on the East, West and South Gate. Make sure we’re prepared if they siege us from both sides.”

Generals, cavalrymen and achers all left to enact these orders, the messenger ran to sound the alarm and Andromeda slumped into her seat at the head of the table “This is it. The battle that decides the war and they’re already winning. All of our plans are useless, a week of strategising and I have to throw it all out of the window.”

“No it wasn’t a waste at all, we can reuse plans in different situations, your army knows all these plans, they know what they have to do when you ask them to and they know what it will take. It’s not over yet.”

She sighed and nodded, “It’s not over yet. Come, we must get armoured up and mounted.”

Putting their armour on was a tense affair, they had not been prepared for this, they’d been blindsided by their neighbouring kingdoms and by Mesyra and they were already out numbered to begin with. Winning would be difficult, living would be impossible. This was likely all of their last battles and yet Artemis didn’t feel bad about dying for a kingdom she barely knew.

_ The war is not yours but it’s one you’ll fight for _

The prophecy had been right yet again. She hated how the gods knew her own moves before she did, how they could read her like a book. She hated that they controlled her fate and in the end any decision she made was not truly her own but she couldn’t stand by and watch Thasalla fall without even trying to help. Maybe this was what Akila meant when she said she had a great fate, maybe this was what Apollo meant when he said she’d _ shape _ fate. Maybe she could turn the tide of this war, after all she still had one more line of the prophecy to complete before she died.

Someone had fixed her shield during the week and sharpened her sword, someone else had redid her helmet so that instead of plume, it allowed space for her long ponytail and someone else had gotten Belyllioth a similar armour to hers. They met in the hallway and Bely gestured at her golden armour and colourful plumes, she was used to black metal and dark iron, but she was rolling with the Queen of Thasalla for the moment.

“Bely, this might be our chance to turn the tide of a war or it could be the end of us both.”

“It could be.”

“What happens if you die? If someone kills you out there?”

“Then I return to my post at Hades’ side and I can never leave.”

Artemis nodded, her mind troubled, but she pulled a well-wrapped package from within her breastplate and handed it gently to Bely, “The flower, you should hold onto this in case things go wrong, give it to Lord Hades.”

Bely shook her head “Artemis no that’s not how it works. The dead can not take with them what they had in life. That’s why we have burials, to make sure we have what we need when we reach the other side. You should keep it and live and give it to Hades yourself.” She grabbed her hand and they walked to the stables hand in hand together.

Right before they left Demetria tracked them down in the long halls, “Wait!”

The two turned around “Demetria!” They had all caught up in the week since they’d been back but they all largely had different roles and different lives in Thasalla, Artemis has joined the honour guard, Demetria was still a lady in waiting and Cassandra still a farmer’s widow and Carisa still on the edge of the city as a servant.

“Andrea, Carisa’s mistress, says Carisa went to defend their farm. Castor went after her but she hasn’t seen either since and she’s worried.”

Artemis frowned, “She went off by herself? She’s going to get herself killed.” Artemis sighed already formulating a plan to go after her.

“Arti, what about Andromeda, you said you had to protect her.”

Artemis froze. She had promised to fight by the Queen’s side to protect her as best as she could but Carisa was out there- “Carisa needs help…”

“I’ll go.” Bely volunteered, “I’ll get them both and bring them inside the walls and then I’ll join you by the North Wall. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Protect the Queen.” Bely gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then she and Demetria ran off to mount up two horses. Artemis went down to the Queen’s stables where the best horses were kept and found her Pegasus, Ace, waiting for her, her mane still braided from her time in Themyscira. She fed her a bit and bonded some more just in time for the rest of the honour guard to roll in, greet their own horses and climb atop them. Andromeda didn’t waste time with pretty speeches and flowery sentiments, they were the honour guard after all. They didn’t need morale boosts and instructions, they knew what they were doing.

They reached the North Gate in no time at all and met the army marching forward, they rode to the centre, far back enough that the queen wouldn’t instantly be targeted but forward enough that no one could call her a coward.

They had the high ground but only on a technicality, the ground was barely raised, probably not enough to make a huge difference between the disparity of their two armies. They could hear the Mesyrans before they could see them, they appeared over the horizon like an avenging army. They besieged the battlefield like banshees, roaring and racing in wildly in disorganised bundles until they came into a spear casting distance of the other army and came to a sudden stop.

Thasalla’s own army with all its hoplites and cavalry stood, lined up in regular squadrons, horses pranced and whined, their snorting the only sounds that could be heard from their side of the field, like the calm before the storm.

Men often found being big and loud was scary, and it could be, but women often found that being silent was scarier. When you couldn’t perceive anything passed the calm fury of a silent still army, it got on people’s nerves and while her army was gathering their steel, the opposition was getting worked up and losing their metal. The field bristled with the steel of spears and ablaze with the glint of sun on gold swords and shields alike. The sun streamed down on them and Artemis hoped that was a sign that Apollo was watching out for them, Artemis didn’t like admitting defeat but it would definitely require godly intervention for them to come out of this okay.

They could all see the Mesyran prince give his order to throw their spears, and Andromeda gave her order to form a shield wall. They all raised their shields above them and the front line at an angle, half in front and half over to create a giant protection barrier from the onslaught of spears. It worked perfectly with not a single spear getting through the wall, while the other army was recovering from the throw they instantly countered with spears of their own. The Mesyrans had a bigger army with more kingdoms but they weren’t in formation, when they raised their shields, there were gaps. It wasn’t much of a dent but people were hit and they went down like a sack of rocks in a river, horses were hit and started wreaking havoc amongst the ranks as they struggled to get the injured horses back under control. Andromeda raised her sword and pointed forward, signalling for them to return fire with a barrage of arrows and the archers compiled from the back and centre lines, hitting the equestrians with deadly accuracy. But as soon as their momentary victory had hit, it was snatched away as the Mesyran army finally charged and battered the Thasallan front line, breaking the first wall and engaging them in direct combat.

The Thasallan army was good but they were outnumbered, even if they cut someone down three more took their place, it was an absolute slaughter. Artemis was using the long reach of her axe to keep everyone as far away from Andromeda as she could manage but even the few that slipped through either had to deal with the other honour guards or with the Queen herself. She may have been pregnant but she definitely wasn’t helpless, she was every bit the lioness she always was. Artemis had given her the invulnerable lion skin that she had lugged across the seven seas to ensure the Queen stayed protected and this time she’d actually taken it.

On the other side of the walls Demetria and Belyllioth rode hard and fast to the house of Castor and Andrea and they found it besieged by rowdy soldiers “Leave this house in peace or prepare to greet Lord Hades.” Bely commanded, levelling her spear at them.

They laughed, the 6 men faced down with two women, and one who obviously was not a fighter at that. “Bring it on lady.” They couldn’t see her true face under her helmet and she made sure to flip it up before she came at them with her spear.

She got one through the throat, stabbing down with deadly accuracy and leveraging him off of her spear with her foot, callously kicking him to the ground. Two charged her at once and she caught both their swords with her wrist gauntlet and stabbed one in the gap of his helmet whilst the other backed away nervously, “Last chance Flee or join your comrades in the afterlife.”

The four men glanced at each other and then at Belyllioth’s daimon face and decided that they had better things to do, hightailing it away from the farm house and towards the army proper, or maybe to get back up. Either way Belyllioth planned to be long gone before they even had time to return.

Demetria dismounted and searched the house for signs of Castor and Carisa as Bely kept watch and she eventually found them in the servants quarters hiding in a closet “Come, we must get inside the city walls before they close for good.”

“Demetria! You came for us! But how did you get passed those horrid men?”

“Bely scared them off.” Demetria told them as she took Carisa’s hand and led them both outside to their horses. “Are you both okay? Andrea was worried sick.”

“We’re okay.” Castor assured her.

“What were you thinking, Carisa? One woman against a whole squadron, why did you think that was a good idea?”

“I thought I was a descendant of Zeus and it’s in my blood to be heroic.”

Bely scoffed “I think you all up here forget that being born does not give you skills, you have to earn them. You have promise, Carisa, but a warrior you are not, you have not trained for it, not like me or Artemis or Andromeda. Now get on the horse.” Carisa climbed on the back of Bely’s horse and held on to her waist. Castor and Demetria reached for the horse's reins at the same time and froze. Demetria had brought the horse, ridden it here and rescued them but Castor was a man, of technically higher status and under any normal circumstances he would always ride up front, it had been easy for Bely, she was a general and a fighter and they had both been women but this had several different layers of class and gender roles. “Hurry up.” Bely huffed, not wanting to deal with all of this when she was supposed to be in the middle of a battle.

“Right sorry, Demetria, I’ll sit on the back.”

Demetria looked shocked, most men wouldn’t be caught dead riding with a woman like this but Castor held onto her waist with little complaint and didn’t say anything when the guards at the gates raised an eyebrow at him.

Bely dropped them all off and wished them well before heading off to the North side to join Artemis on the battlefield. When the fighting came into view her eyes widened. Thasallan soldiers littered the ground and there were Mesryans everywhere plundering loot from their dead bodies, their shiny swords, their worked armours, their engraved shields and bejewelled helmets. Bely cut down anyone stupid enough to be distracted in the middle of on the open battlefield. The living were obsessed with things, the dead knew it was all meaningless, “You can’t take any of this with you boys.” She yelled, swinging her spear too and fro and watering the grass with their hot red blood, “Were your shiny trinkets worth your lives?” 

One man fell to his knees and held up a stunning golden belt “Ransom, ransom me please. I have a family, young children. All girls.” His plea was essentially that if she killed him, she would end his family's line.

She didn’t want to be cruel but she wouldn’t be brought either. “Get out of my sight.” She spat, pushing away the pay he was offering in exchange for his life. “You’re worth more than a belt. Go home and be with your children. If I see you here again, I will not hesitate to separate your head from your neck.”

“Thank you thank you!” He dropped the belt and started running away from the blood and the fighting and the gore and the sound of swords crashing into each other. Bely quickly made it into the thick of battle, catching glimpses of Artemis’ red hair and her armour shining in the sunlight, she was hard to miss, even amongst all the bloodshed sat atop a dazzling white horse. Even as the other warriors and horses were being spattered with blood, Pegasus remained immaculate. Bely mowed down a path through enemy soldiers towards Artemis and when she tore her eyes away from the fighting enough to acknowledge her Bely yelled, “Carisa and Castor are safe in the walls!”

“Thank the gods! We’re getting slaughtered out here!” She yelled as her axe cut clean through someone’s arm, filling the air around them with horrified screaming.

Bely agreed, “If we had back up coming from the North side we could take this field back.”

Andromeda snipped, “We _ don’t _ have back up from the North, we only have the quarter army behind us to the South.”

Artemis frowned, “We could stage a smaller side attack? Position them to the West so they’re unseen in the dying sun? Bizarro is with them so he could mete out some serious damage.” The day was starting to come to a close, the sun would be setting soon and when nightfall came the battle would most likely be decided.

“We could.” Andromeda thought about the idea, “But it would not be enough to turn the tides fully.”

“It’s all we can do.” Another honour guard member; Endios, the son of Polyas and one of Andromeda’s most trusted soldiers, added. “Like you said, no one else is coming, we’re all we have left.”

As if Endios had summoned it into existence, just as Artemis was sure they would be overrun before the moon rose and the sun fell, a loud horn from the North was heard and another from the East, “What is that? _ Who _ is that?” Andromeda asked, frowning into the distance and not at all being able to see the flags the new arrivals were holding, “Do we have yet more enemies?”

“That’s Messetta!” Atemis cried gleefully, pointing to the army from further North and recognising the banner from the short time she’d spent with Prince Alastor during the contest.

“Messetta? Here? But I thought they were plagued with war anxiety of their own.”

“I helped the prince during my contest. Maybe he is here to offer help in return.”

“And to the East?” The Queen asked.

Belyllioth’s eyes widened in shock “That’s Themyscira.”

“The amazons?” Endios yelped shocked. “Here?”

Andromeda grinned, “If they are both here to help then we should do more too, deploy the quarter army to the West side, we shall box them in! The Mesyrans won’t know what hit them.”

Princess Atalanta streamed into battle atop her horse, leading a contingent of amazons with her, Artemis could tell it wasn’t the whole amazon army, but it was enough to send the Mesyrans running terrified in the opposite direction. Atalanta came with a vengeance to meet steel words with bronze blades on the battlefield, behind her, her amazons were armed with spears and swords and arrows. 

From the East, Alastor did the same with an army of Messetan men all perfectly in sync with each other as if Athena had planned it herself.

The quarter army to the West arrived just in time, with Bizarro at the front. At some point during their separation he’d master horseback riding and was even pretty handy with a spear, it helped that his aim was good and his arm strong because when a spear hit, it_ hit _. The Mesyrans and their allies were boxed in by armies more skilled and more organised, Thasalla was still outnumbered but they had definitely outmatched the larger group. 

As the battle readjusted, most of the men went for the Amazons and the quarter army, they were the smallest and one army was made entirely out of women so they assumed to would be easier, no one wanted to face the Messetans but that just led to people being cut down from behind and they stupidly turned their backs to run to a different fight. It may have been bad practice to kill someone running away, but it was even worse to run away in the first place. No one would blame the Messetans for their fervour on the field.

Atalanta had a curved sword in each hand, the curve made it ideal for horseback combat and the blades had been sharpened to perfection making her unstoppable as she sliced through men like paper. Along the way she lost one sword and in her battle lust she let out a war cry and bared her breast “You thought you were facing a sub par warrior because I am a woman?! Well the day has come when you have been proven wrong by a woman’s weapon!” She swung down and split someone’s skull in two, “It is no mean name you will be taking to your fathers!” She stood up in her stirrups and pulled out her spear from her sheath and pointed it at the oncoming army, “You can tell them that you fell by the spear of Atalanta! Glory to the amazons!”

“GLORY TO THE AMAZONS!” Her sisters cried back, in a wild battle frenzy taking down anyone who got too close.

“We will not leave our sister’s out to dry!” She yelled and then she sat down to continue riding properly, mumbling to herself as she did so, “I won’t leave a sister to die alone again.”

Artemis signalled to the Queen’s Guard and to Bely to watch the queen as she took off on her flying horse to rendezvous with Alastor, she streaked over the battlefield and dodged a few brave archers before landing on the other side and shooting a Mesyran with her bow. “Alastor! What are you doing here?”

“I convinced my father to let me prove Mesetta’s might in battle so as to ward off any impending attacks from others. After you gave up one of your prizes to me and the protection of my kingdom I had to help. We got the queen’s plea but all communications were being watched, every kingdom in the area has been paid off or won over to the Mesyran’s side.”

“But not Mesetta?”

“They assumed we wouldn’t join a war when we were so nervous about a war ourselves. They were almost right but they didn’t count on us meeting at the Contest and they didn’t account for your kindness. I’ll admit we came here a bit last minute so if you have a plan you need to relay, I’m all ears.” 

“We have uneven armies surrounding them,” Artemis explained, “three quarters of the army stands between the Mesyrans and the city wall, the Amazons are to the North, you to the East and a quarter of our army to the West led by Bizarro. The North and East are being bombarded because they appear to be weak spots, if you could send some men to support the East forces and the rest to box them in from here and engage with the men who would rather fight the women over there than fight you.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He fiddled with the top of his spear for a moment and attached a red cloth, holding it up and pointing it towards the West side, immediately the soldiers to the back moved away from the battle and started moving to the other side of the field. He had his army well-disciplined, clearly they had no wasted time when it came to prepping for war.

“Thank you so much Alastor, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

“You don’t have to repay me, we’re even now. I was repaying you.”

“You saved this city Alastor, trust me when I say we owe you big time.”

Artemis took off once more to track down Atalanta somewhere in the battlefield. The centre of the field where Atalanta had found herself was close in ranks and tightly restricted, there was no space to land a horse so she simply dropped down from the sky and ordered her pegasus out of harm’s way. “Atalanta! Oh glory of the Themyscrians, I can’t even begin to express my gratitude in words or deeds to you helping us.”

She laughed “Artemis, I refused to live my life always wondering ‘what if’ like I have been with Pentheselia. Artemis and Hestia were right, we need to help the sisterhood, even sisters who aren’t the same as us, even sisters who live amongst man’s world, especially those in man’s world. I told you not to let your anger lead you but I was letting fear lead me. I was afraid that I would be abandoning Themyscira but the spirit of Themyscira lives on everywhere where women are free. I read up on the Mesyrans, they’re worse than the Athenians when it comes to oppressing women and with Theseus, the amazon rapist and murderer, as Athens’ hero, it’s hard to be worse than them. You don’t need to express gratitude, you just need to share the heat of battle with me!” She offered Artemis a hand and pulled her onto the back of her horse and they continued Atalanta’s one-woman assault of the enemy forces, zig-zagging across the battlefield and wreaking havoc on the disorganised ranks. Artemis pulled out Mistress once more from the world between worlds and slices while Atalanta diced, they were like a two women army all by themselves. “Ahhha!” Atalanta laughed as people finally got the hint that she was a woman not to be trifled with “One woman- or rather two women - have turned your whole army and scattered all your men to every point of the compass! Mesyra is done here, throw down your swords and beg for mercy!”

It seemed the Mesyrans had more spirit then either women had given them credit for, only very few turned tail to run and they were quickly cut down by their own comrades. Cowards weren’t welcome in an army, either lived a hero or died a hero, there was no other option except to be killed as a coward.

“You have a pegasus around here somewhere right? How about you become Thasalla’s avenging angel.” Atalanta suggested, pointing at the sky.

“A little air support?”

“Exactly.”

Artemis let out a loud concert whistle that managed to pierce through the noise and reach her pegasus, Ace. She flew low and Artemi back flipped off of Atalanta’s horse, into the air and landed gracefully on Ace’s’ back. She pulled out her bow and let out a hailstorm of arrows, the unexpected attack made the Mesyran lines fall apart, it also gave her a good view of the Mesyran Prince. It seemed the king had not deemed the battle worthy of his presence, or maybe he was hoping to prime his son for the position of king, either way he would regret not coming. She swooped down and plucked the prince out of his seat by hooking Mistress onto the back of his armour, flew him over his men just to show them hope was lost and dropped him at Andromeda’s feet.

“Prince Dolon.” Andromeda greeted him, an air of politeness over her smugness.

“Queen Andromeda.” He sounded nervous and he was right to be. This was a war after all and wars in Ancient Greece ended when the commander was dead and there was no one left to lead. He looked nervous but he also looked very young. He was only 18, Artemis had learned, younger than Artemis by several years. In her own time 18 was too young to die, here not so much but they all still recognised his youth.

“You’re young. I recognise this war was not one of your own makings. Your father pushed you to fight just as mine has always pushed me to defend. You are young, you are not set in your ways. We could make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Either die here on this battlefield for nothing and know we will march on Mesyra and kill your father or surrender this battle, assume your father’s crown and become a client state to Thasalla.”

“And what happens to my father if I agree to your demands?”

“He can choose between being locked in a prison for the rest of his days or a noble death. I plan to defeat him but I don’t want to humiliate him too badly, if I take his pride and his life he’ll be nothing but a martyr to his people.”

“If I chose to serve you then I’ll be nothing but the coward prince who gave up his father and his kingdom to win the throne.”

“Do your people enjoy this war? There was no wrongdoing committed on our part, no great injustice, there was no thievery or tricks. Your father went to war because he didn’t like me, because he didn’t like a woman leading. Tell me, are you men so brainwashed they see this is a worthy cause to die for? Are your people so scared that they do not tell you this is not a noble war? March back to your father and tell him he has not been a good king, bringing war where war was not needed, sowing death and destruction when we could have just as easily been allies.”

Alastor and his guards and Atalanta and a few of her most trusted Amazons joined them on their horses, looking down at the Prince of Mesyra “So what will it be?” Alastor asked.

Atalanta finished, “Death or servitude?”


	11. Book XI: Mercy is Strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kings don‘t often make for good fathers, bad fathers don’t often make good men and bad men don’t often make for good kings. My father was a tyrant. He was cruel, he was…” Prince Dolon trailed off, clearly thinking of a specific incident that had stuck in his mind enough to turn a son against his own father, “He showed no mercy. If he had been in Andromeda’s position today he would have killed me, he would have killed a baby in its mother’s womb if it would gain him any power.”
> 
> “So why did you never do anything sooner?”
> 
> “I am a prince, he is a king. To be Greek is to know one’s place.”
> 
> “And now?”
> 
> “To be a Prince is to do what is best for your Polis and its people."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Spotify playlist for this fanfic.  
This chapter's songs are:
> 
> Enough by The Tech Thieves  
and  
Every Piece of Me by ILLENIUM ft Echos
> 
> If you look up _'The Epic of Artemis'_ on Spotify you'll find it.

In the end the poor kid had called off his soldiers, had recruited them to his new cause that the war had been unnecessary and that his father had to be taken down. Mobs were easy to sway if you had the power, soldiers were easy to buy.

Andromeda made sure he showed all the people who had fought on that field the same courtesy, anyone who had died that day would receive a proper burial. They would receive a funeral pyre and prayers and libations and a coin over each eye. Dolon turned out to be quite nice, they’d signed a deal to make him a client state prince who answered to Andromeda, she’d asked him to send this message out to all the poleis who had turned their backs on Thasalla in their time of need as soon as the king was dispatched. “Do you not feel bad? About killing your father?” Artemis couldn’t help but ask.

“It seems Andromeda knows what he is like. Kings don‘t often make for good fathers, bad fathers don’t often make good men and bad men don’t often make for good kings. My father was a tyrant. He was cruel, he was…” He trailed off, clearly thinking of a specific incident that had stuck in his mind enough to turn a son against his own father, “He showed no mercy. If he had been in Andromeda’s position today he would have killed me, he would have killed a baby in its mother’s womb if it would gain him any power.”

“So why did you never do anything sooner?”

“I am a prince, he is a king. To be Greek is to know one’s place.”

“And now?”

“To be a prince is to do what is best for your Polis and its people. Andromeda is a far kinder monarch than my father. She will improve everyone’s lives. She knows when to show mercy and when to show strength.”

Andromeda had washed herself of the blood from the field and re-emerged in their war tent, “Mercy is a strength. To show mercy when faced with the option of exacting revenge is difficult, it takes restraint. Your kingdom has wrought untold pain on mine and you today have led that charge but I see you are not truly at fault and so it would not be justice for me to cut you down. This isn’t some convoluted power grab for me; I want to make  _ both _ our kingdoms better places to live, I want to end any future wars between our people.”

“So what now?” Belyllioth asked, from the dark corner she had sat herself in to clean the blood off her blade.

Andromeda sighed, “Now we clean ourselves and we pray. We offer thanks to the gods who delivered our victory. Poseidon, Artemis, Apollo and Hestia.”

Dolon added, “I should pray to Ares and Athena too.” At the mention of the goddess, they all froze. “What?”

“Your city worships Ares, I know that he is your patron god as Poseidon is ours but why are you praying to  _ Athena _ ?”

“She offered us help, it was her idea to hit you from the North instead of the South like you had expected, it was her idea to convince all the neighbouring cities to not warn you of our ruse.”

Artemis sighed deeply, “Of course it was. I’m sorry Andromeda, it would seem this battle was all my fault.”

“Don’t be sorry, without you we never would have gained allies and we never would have won this or any battle against Mesyra. This battle was inevitable, it would have happened with or without you.”

“I suppose I should pray to her too. Maybe she just wants me to grovel for her forgiveness.”

Artemis, Andromeda, Alastor, Atalanta, Belyllioth, Dolon, Endrios and a few other important members of their newly joint war effort all carefully wiped the blood off of their skin and handed their weapons off to be cleaned, they changed out of their bloody and dented armours and swapped them out for white chitons and modest hooded robes, even Artemis took off her boots knowing they were filthy from wading through an active battlefield.

The gods demanded physical purity from those who prayed to them, those who offered sacrifice and those who poured libations, even on the battlefield they were not to come face to face with the dead. The grime of war was not to come near a temple, the stench of death not to befoul a sacrifice. It was almost funny how ironic that sentiment was when it was the gods that caused the death and demanded the needless sacrifice of an animal. Artemis couldn’t help but note it as they all raised their hands and heads (and hearts) to the gods and watched the hierophant stun and slit the neck of a white bull. It died quietly, usually a good omen for these sorts of things and it went quickly, closing its eyes and accepting its fate.

Artemis begrudgingly thanked Poseidon, after what he’d done to Andromeda it seemed like a slap in the face to thank him but without him, her quest would have failed and the war would have been lost and she knew better than to spit in the face of the gods. Or at least she did when she was thinking rationally, oftentimes her anger got the better of her when it came to the gods. She thanked Hestia and Artemis for their help in recruiting the Amazons to their side and she thanked Ares just because if you had a war and didn’t thank him he got pissy about it, even when he had been supporting the opposing side.

Getting on her knees and begging Athena for mercy was a blow to Artemis’ ego. She liked to lambast men for their pride and ego but the truth was she was just as bad. She hated the gods and she hated the petty goddess who had deemed it fit to destroy her life and the lives of those around her because of something completely out of Artemis’ own control. She hadn’t meant to destroy her sacred grove but she apologised anyway, she tried to sound sincere as she offered up her apologies. She doesn’t know what else she can do to try and convince the goddess to let it go, to let her go home.

When they were all done and all the treaties had been signed and the plans had been made and Andromeda and Dolon were allies, Bely turned to Artemis, a sad look on her face. “I heard your prophecy.”

“You did?”

“Yes, Demetria told me. It seems there’s only really one line left. That means you’ll have to go soon.”

“I- I suppose it does. Apollo said nothing’s over until every line is completed and even then, it’s never what you think. None of these have been what I thought they would be.”

“Sisterhood is key to the dimensional door. Whatever's about to happen it’s going to mean you going home. Which means I should return home too. We need to make our trade with Lord Hades.”

“Well that is the reason we returned to Thasalla in the first place. You said there was an entrance near here?”

She looked sad as she agreed with Artemis’ assessment, “It’s quite close, yes.” Then she smiled, looking up at Artemis through curled eyelashes, “It will require one last boat ride.”

“One last boat ride.” Artemis repeated like a mantra, nodding. 

“I love you Artemis, I love you to hell and back but we both knew this would have to end.”

“I-” It caught in her throat when she tried to return it, love? What did she know of love? Everyone she loved left her or she left them. Akila, Jason and now Bely too. How could she feel so deeply for all of them at the same time and still claim to love any of them?

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say it back. I know there’s someone waiting for you back home.”

“No it’s not like that, I care about you so much!”

“I know you do, but like Hestia said. Figure out where your heart is and that’s home. This isn’t your home Artemis, I know that.”

“But I don’t know where home is.”

“You’ll find it.” Bely kissed her sweetly and Artemis chased after her lips when she pulled away, “Let’s get the gang back together. One last ride.”

“One last ride.” She whispered as Bely left to go talk to Andromeda about using her ship one last time. Everything felt so final. After so long in this strange world, she might be going home soon.

As it turned out Heron, Dios, Cassandra, Carisa and Demetria were only too happy to do one last mission. Bizarro was the first one to sign on obviously, he enveloped her in a hug and Artemis hugged him back, “We’re going to find Red Him?”

“We just might Bizarro, we just might.” Artemis didn’t know what would happen. She didn’t understand dimensional doorways like Kryptonite!Bizarro had, she didn’t understand magic portals like Raven or Zatanna; all she knew was that her entire time here had been working towards one goal and she didn’t know what would happen if she failed it.

They set sail two days later after Andromeda had thrown a sufficient feast for her army and to thank Alastor and Atalanta for their immense help. Artemis has gifted her Pegasus to Andromeda, if this worked out she’d be back in Gotham and Gotham was no place for a flying horse, Ace would probably get shot out of the sky by some low life. Bely made sure Heron sailed to the correct place and they all watched closely to make sure they didn’t end up in the wrong place and to make sure Athena wasn’t messing with them again. They reached Turchia in no time and from there Bely had to lead them directly, where they were going was not well mapped. 

There was no sailboat on a river this time, and she wasn’t alone. Rather than a portal in a river, there was simply a deep cave that gave off a very dark presence. It was the same fear she’d felt when Hades had used his Helm of Darkness on her, clearly this was an entrance to the Underworld. Belyllioth took her hand in her own and whispered, “I won’t let you get lost in there.”

Artemis trusted Bely with her life, she had been trusting her with her life since she’d joined the crew really, since she’d saved her in Hades. She squeezed her hand and gave her a kiss before they both stepped into the cave and started walking, Artemis clutching the flower and being careful not to crush it in her nervousness.

Entering this place was very different, there was no Charon and the River Styx here, it seemed they’d come by a different river, a river of fire. It looked like molten lava flowing with the ease of water, wild beasts drank from the river like it didn’t burn their throats, she could see the Field of Punishment from here, she could see Sisyphus pushing his boulder up a hill for eternity and Tantalus standing in a lake unable to drink from it, with a fruit tree overhead that he could never reach. These were cosmic sinners, sinners who had offended Zeus personally and broken the very laws of nature, who had defied death and subverted the natural law. Belyllioth pulled her onwards, away from their eternal damnation and towards the palace once again.

People waved at Belyllioth as she moved through the kingdom of the dead, as a General she must have been well known, “I feel like you know a lot about me and I don’t know anything about you.”

“What do you mean? Of course you know me.”

“I don’t know why or how you became one of Hades’ generals.” She pointed out.

“I was born a daimon, we  _ all _ work for Lord Hades. I was good in training, I showed promise so I was put up for a military and guard role and worked my way up. No one ever questioned me here because I was a woman, no one scorned me for my teeth, here it’s a sign of respect, up there it was a source of ridicule.”

“Not in Thasalla. They loved you.”

“They were blinded by their hero worship. If I had not been part of your crew they would have scorned me too.”

“Maybe, maybe not. We shall never know. People can be cruel but we should give Man’s World, the Upper World, more credit. They’re not all bad.”

“I know.” Bely playfully pushed Artemis, implying she was one of the ones who wasn’t bad.

Their walk seemed entirely too short, they reached the palace gates too quickly for Artemis’ liking. This time there was a lot less fear about Hades smiting her down then there had been, she knelt at the foot of his throne and presented him with the flower, opening the makeshift casing to reveal a beautiful vibrant yellow flower unlike any she had ever seen before. It was amazing, astounding, it was like someone had plucked the sun from the sky and planted it in the ground to create this flower. “It’s beautiful.” She breathed.

“It is.” Hades agreed as he took it from her and inspected it, he sighed but gestured for another guard to get the Pomegranate gem, “A deal is a deal and I always keep my end of the bargain. The gem.”

“Thank you Lord Hades, I won’t forget all you’ve done for me.”

“Yes yes, I’m sure. Belyllioth, show her out and make sure she doesn’t get lost again.” Hades dismissed her flippantly but he was smiling, he wasn’t the bad guy people thought he was, he was just a man who loved his wife stuck with the dead because he’d drawn the short straw aeons ago and had been spurned by his family for it.

Artemis swore to herself she would make a sacrifice to Hades before she went home. Belyllioth kissed her at the gates like a nervous first date kissing her at the front door, wondering if she would be invited in. “The underworld is eternal, I’ll still be here in a thousand years or ten thousand years or in a millennia. Come find me.”

“I’m not from the future Bely, I’m from a different dimension. But I will try.” She’d learnt a lot of things on her journey, she’d learnt to control her anger, learnt to lead without second-guessing herself, learnt the true meaning of sisterhood. Maybe she could do to learn a little hope too, “I’ll come find you, in this world or the next.”

“To hell and back.”

“To hell and back.” Artemis repeated, unsure when exactly that had become their thing but glad it had. It was a lot easier than saying goodbye.

She exited the underworld alone and Cassandra was waiting on the other side with a hug, “It will get better.”

“I know.” That didn’t make it any easier now. “Thank you.” She held up the red gem in her hands “This is it.”

“Now what?” Bizarro asked, staring at it intently.

“I don’t know, the prophecy said sisterhood was the key.”

Demetria shrugged “I mean we already did the whole amazon thing, I don’t know what else that could mean.”

Carisa suggested, “Us? I mean we’re kind of a sisterhood right?”

Dios frowned, “What would you guys even do to get it to work? Does anyone know any magic?”

Artemis sighed, “The only magic I know is how to banish demons.”

“Banish what?” Heron asked.

“That comes a bit later, never mind.” Of course, demons came with Judo-Christianity and the Torah still had some ways to go before it got big. Any spell she might have cast were all useless here, and magic wasn’t exactly her strong suit either so it probably wouldn’t have gone extremely well.

She sighed sadly, “Look I don’t know what we’re supposed to do next but I think we should do a sacrifice to Hades, I owe him big time for this.” And for Belyllioth. She left that part unspoken.

They bought a cow from a nearby farm and Heron, Bizarro and Dios built a fire for them to burn the thigh fat on. Carisa wasn’t the best butcher, but living outside the city meant being a jack of all trades and she could manage well enough for the sacrifice. Usually only priests and hierophants performed sacrifices like this, usually at temples and altars, but there was no Temple to Hades, no priesthood to guide them in their ritual. He was one of the few gods with no presence on Earth despite being so powerful, despite being one of the 6 oldest gods. It was almost cruel how his brothers had relegated him to be feared and loathed by humans for eternity but Artemis didn’t fear death, not truly. When the sacrifice had been burnt and the smoke dissipated into the sky, the ground shook, as if Hades was acknowledging their gratitude.

Artemis was deep in thought as they returned to their ship, she had the gem but she still didn’t know how to get home.

_ Sisterhood was the key _

Any sisterhood she was ever going to get in this place she’d already gotten from the women on her team to the amazons to Andromeda, Artemis didn’t think she could get any more sisterly to be honest.

“You’re feeling awfully pious these days.” A feminine voice from behind them made them all turn suddenly.

They came face to face with a beautiful blond woman, she was in full armour, armed with a spear and shield and was draped in a long flowing blue cloak. Her eyes were stern and grey and piercing, like they could see right into her soul and her form was enveloped in a soft white glow. She felt powerful and if all the clues didn’t already make it obvious who this was standing before them, an owl was perched atop her shoulder. “Athe-Lady Athena!” Artemis stuttered out trying to sound polite but being honestly shocked to see the goddess.

She turned down her nose at Artemis and for a second Artemis was sure she was going to just smite her down where she stood, fate be damned, but instead she looked away somewhere into the horizon and sighed, “It would seem I have gone a little bit… overboard... in my revenge.”

“I… what?” Artemis had to bite back her sarcastic  _ ‘you think?’ _

“I’ve been watching you. You never seem to do what I expect you to. You spare Medusa’s life even as she threatens yours, you praise Hades when no one else will, you  _ team up _ with Prince Dolon instead of just killing him when seconds before your armies were at war.”

“My sister has a saying, a saying I’m sure she got from you; ‘Do not kill if you can wound, don’t subdue if you can pacify, and don’t raise your hand at all until-”

Athena finished off the phrase with a grim smile, “Until you’ve extended it first. I taught that to the amazons when they put down their swords and promised to serve peace. I haven’t been following my own advice for a very long time.”

“I often don’t follow her advice either.” She had thought it was a dumb ideology, sometimes you had to be decisive and people didn’t appreciate your kindness but she’d been doing that practically her whole life anyway, taking a life was never her first thought even if beating the living daylights out of someone was.

“Yes, you’re disrespectful, petulant, you dishonour and attack the gods at every chance you get and you pray to us not out of respect or loyalty but because you need something and you don’t want to offend us. You don’t care about our power and or our status above you except when we use it against you and then you get angry. You’re  _ fuelled _ by anger, you have so much rage in you and a lot of it is directed at the gods.” Artemis winced at the scathing review of herself from the goddess, no good could come from a sentence opener like that. “But you’re also… merciful, kind and smart and one of the most competent warriors I’ve ever seen. It was clear from the beginning that you never meant to harm my grove and I let  _ my _ anger get the better of me too. Hestia has been lecturing me about it for weeks, about how I’m being too harsh and too petty and too much like my stepmother Hera. She reminded me of how guilty I felt about Arachne, after I turned her into a spider, how I punished Medusa over Poseidon, and it made me realise I was doing the same thing to you. I was punishing you for nothing, I was hounding you on your quest and keeping you from your home for nothing. You have every right to be angry at me.”

“I forgive you.” Artemis offered.

Athena looked at her incredulously and raised an eyebrow, “Did I apologise?” Artemis went to answer, waving her hands in an apologetic way not wanting to undo whatever had happened but was cut off once again by the goddess, “You are an amazon too, even if you’re not technically one of mine, you’re part of this sisterhood that I helped found. I live on Olympus but I was raised in Atlantis by Poseidon’s own son Triton. I’m no longer welcome there, I can’t go to the place that was my home for so long but you can get home _ , I _ will help you get home.”

“Sisterhood!” Carisa exclaimed, the final line of the prophecy finally clicking into place.

“Indeed.” Athena nodded. 

“So it wasn’t the Amazons whose sisterhood I had to earn, it was yours.” Artemis’s eyes widened as she figured it out too.

Athena reached out her hand and a soft glow enveloped her, the Pomegranate gem floated out of Artemis’ grasp and into the air between them. “It’s time to go home.”

“Wait! Can I not say goodbye to Queen Andromeda, Atalanta and Alastor?”

“You are needed at home.” Athena replied.

“How do you know?”

“I’m the goddess of wisdom, I just know.”

“Okay then.” Artemis quickly turned to her crew and enveloped them all in a hug, “Thank you all for believing in me, for following me all this way and for putting your lives on the line to get me back home.”

She turned to Bizarro next, “I don’t know what’s on the other side, I don’t even know if there is another side, for all I know this could be a trick.”

Bizarro reached out his own hand and smiled “As long as me am with you, it will be okay.”

For the first time ever, Artemis actually took Bizarro’s hand in her own and turned back to Athena. The goddess used the gem to rip a hole in the space-time continuum, a portal opened before them, swirling purple lights and iridescent hues lit up the space around them, out of the chaos formed a door, a very familiar door. It was the dimensional door. Athena lowered her head, “Remember Artemis, the prophecy may be over but your destiny isn’t. As Apollo said, you are the kind of person who changes fates, have faith in that and trust me when I say nothing’s over till it’s over.”

Artemis almost responded with questions on what the goddess was talking about but she couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her and cut her off when she saw it, this was it! They were going home! She could visit her sisters in Bana and fight with Diana and they were going to see Jason again! She smiled, a grin from ear to ear as Bizarro opened the doorway and a glowing silver light blinded them to the path ahead. “Home?” He asked her, a similar smile on his face.

“Home.” She agreed, “Thank you, Athena.”

She took a deep breath and the two Outlaws stepped through the door, hand in hand through the gates of destiny. 

Finally they were -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> home.


	12. Book XII: Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We am home?”
> 
> “Not quite. We’re in the floating fortress you built but we’re not home, not yet. We’re not on our earth.”
> 
> “So where are we?”
> 
> “I don’t know Bizarro. I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a Spotify playlist for this fic and this chapter's songs are  
I Was Here by Beyoncé  
and  
Coming Home - Part II by Skylar Grey

Artemis hadn’t cried when her mother had died. She hadn’t cried when Akila had disappeared. Hadn’t cried when she’d been forced to kill her. Hadn’t cried when she had to kill her again.

She was crying now. She was screaming. “SHE TRICKED ME!” Artemis raged, “THAT SHREW TRICKED US!” She spun around and opened the dimensional door that was now behind her once more ready to return to the world she had come from and give Athena a piece of her mind but when she looked out there was no Ancient Greek landscape or the dark cave from which she had exited not too long ago. All that was there was the whirling chaos, the black and blue and purple lights and colours that stretched on for infinity. Her body didn’t seem to get the memo that there was nothing out there because it continued on its determined quest to step outside and she would have been lost if Bizarro hadn’t grabbed her and pulled her back by her arm.

“We am home?”

“Not quite. We’re in the floating fortress you built but we’re not home, not yet. We’re not on our earth.”

“So where are we?”

“I don’t know Bizarro. I don’t know.”

Artemis calmed down with some prayers and meditation which she had ended up teaching Bizarro although, they’d focussed more on the meditation part with him since he wasn’t a big believer in the gods, Jason’s bat-cynicism had already gotten to him. They’d made somewhat of a game plan, they couldn’t exactly get out of this place so they would make do with what they could.

They searched the ship for any usable supplies, food, new suits, clothes, anything that could be useful to them, there was actually quite a lot of stuff on board, the whole structure was remarkably intact for something that Artemis had seen explode and then get dragged into a pocket dimension. Along the way Artemis managed to find Pup Pup, he was in the living room sitting on the sofa like he had been when the whole thing had started going down. She picked him up and went to Bizarro’s room to return the much loved toy to its owner. She was going to just leave it on his bed and go but then a thought came to her, Bizarro’s secret kryptonite bunker. If everything else was still there this likely was too.

She popped the secret hatch open with ease and snuck down the stairs like she had done the first time. The room was missing the faint green glow from the last time and she breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of kryptonite around but something told her her fears were not set at ease just yet. 

Something spurred her to keep looking, maybe her amazon instincts, maybe her patented distrust. Either way after searching the secret room from head to toe she was finally satisfied that Bizarro really had rid himself of all the synthetic kryptonite he had obtained from the Suicide Squad mission. She went back upstairs to Biz’s room and shut the hatch, content that the whole place even existed in one piece. She did one more mental sweep of the room and closed the door, heading down the kitchen to make some food. She stopped halfway there and turned around, sure something wasn’t right.

She opened the door to Bizarro’s room once again and squinted, trying to figure out what had put her so on edge. Pup Pup who Artemis was sure she had put on Biz’ bed was now on his dresser, staring pointedly at the en suite bathroom. No way had it just moved. Surely not. She must have gotten distracted by her search for kryptonite. She put him back on the bed, or on the bed for the first time as she tried to convince herself, but her curiosity had been piqued. She popped her head into the bathroom and took a quick look around, it was a relatively normal bathroom. A toilet, a shower, a sink and basin with a mirror, a cabinet behind it.

Artemis frowned, her own bathroom didn’t have a cabinet, why would Biz build himself one and not her? She pulled the mirror open and was met with the basics; toothpaste, toothbrush and the likes but there was a faint green glow emanating from the cracks around the edges of the shelves.

Artemis’ stomach dropped.

_ He wouldn’t. _

She pried open a secret compartment behind the shelves to reveal viel upon veil of glowing green synthetic kryptonite.

_ He did. _

He lied to her back then when he’d said there was no more, that he’d gotten rid of it all.

She pulled off her old grey hoodie and used it as a bag to gather all the vials and dispose of them somehow. As she exited the bathroom her eye caught once more on Pup Pup, once more sitting on the dresser, definitely_ not _ where she had put him, and looking directly at her. She grabbed him too, it looked like their reunion would have to wait.

She sat in her room with her stash of kryptonite on one side and the weirdly knowledgeable doll on the other. Pup Pup had moved, no doubt about it but she figured she’d have time to figure that out. Right now the pressing matter was the green substance before her. She’s been determined to throw it away but if they ever wanted to get out of here they would need smart Bizarro back and to get him back he would have to drink it.

With a heavy heart and a head full of guilt, Artemis packed then away under her bed, knowing she would need them but not wanting to subject her friend to the pain of forgetting all over again. She decided not to do anything about either thing, she would keep an eye on the Pup and on Biz and hope for the best, she could handle a little waiting.

She taught Bizarro yoga and they cooked together with their almost endless food supply. She taught him a few dishes from her home and he made her the biggest messiest burger she had ever seen because that’s how Jason ate them and they talked about things, like their adventures in Greece, he filled her in on everything that had happened when he was a champion fighter and she told him about the differences between the ancient Themyscira and now. His beard had grown out to hipster levels and Artemis found some razors and shaped it for him and when she had accidently hacked off some of her hair, practicing her sword fighting without first tying it up she thought ‘fuck it’ and started chopping the whole thing off.

She stopped halfway through and looked at herself in the mirror and cringed, “Good lord.” She hissed, borrowing the curse from the monotheistic religion that seemed to envelop the western part of Man’s World, a hairdresser she was not. Bizarro actually fixed it for her, giving her a semi-decent side shave and getting rid of the ‘attacked by an axe murder’ look her hair had taken on. 

It would grow back pretty fast but it was weird having her hair so different after wearing it the same way every day for years. She put it in a plait but being one of two people in a given space didn’t give her much incentive to ever redo it and keep it neat so the plait soon became more of a loose collection of hair that fell to one side of her face, shorter strands from the front fell into her face and when her roots grew out it made the plait even looser.

She didn’t know how much time passed in their little pocket dimension with just the two of them, she tried to keep count with any clock or watch she could find but it was like something about the place messed with all time keeping devices. Sometimes one second on a watch would last one second but other times it would drag on for longer, stretching out the 4th dimensions and then compressing them again in ways Artemis didn’t understand.

She had started carrying Pup Pup around with her, hidden underneath her clothes, after he had moved around her room by itself. She wasn’t sure what was going on with the stuffed toy but it worried her. She’d heard about stories of dolls coming to life and killing people and while she doubted that was what was happening, she had long since learnt not to utter the words 'impossible’.

Smart!Bizarro had left quite detailed notes on the dimensional door and how it worked but it was all high level physics that Artemis had no hope of understanding. Bizarro had found her once, pouring over the notes and he’d been sad. There was a time when he had understood all of it and more, when he’d had the world at his fingertips. He remembered it, the feeling, how hard he’d tried to stop his regression, the look on Artemis’ face when she’d realised the Bizarro she’d first met was back. He’d sat with her and tried to jog his memory on how any of it worked but it was ultimately a pointless endeavor, he just couldn’t remember.

He was by no means dumb, even if she had once thought so, but he had limitations when it came to his memory, he had been floating cross legged doing yoga when Artemis had sought him out to see if he wanted to eat something, she was going by her internal body clock for time but she was certain it was time for lunch and either way she was hungry. “Bizarro?” She rounded the corner of the main hall “There you are.”

“Me can only be where me am.” His eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly, he’d really taken to her whole mediation thing.

She sighed at his philosophical take to physical locations, “Don’t make me regret teaching you yoga.”

“Om shanti shanti shanti.” It was a buddist mantra, it meant peace, it was supposed to bring peace too, she was glad it seemed to work for Bizarro. “When Bizarro’s mind is clear and at peace me can hear-” He stopped abruptly and his eyes flashed open “Me just remembered something! Something me left behind!”

Artemis, certain that he had finally remembered his beloved Pup Pup, grabbed the doll from under her jumper and presented it to him, “You remembered Pup Pup, I waited to see if you would.”

“No wait Red Her, not something.” He stood up, and placed his feet firmly on the ground, he started walking with purpose towards his room and Artemis followed, “Someone.”

Artemis frowned, someone? Like another person? On the base? How could there be a person here?

Bizarro reached his room and raced to his bookshelf where he carefully reached for a little bottle. It was empty except for a little replica model of Ma Gunn’s house, she had wondered where he had got it from but after he made a floating fortress in a weekend it seemed dumb to question how he’d made a glorified paper weight. He screwed close one eye and looked into the bottle with intense focus, “She’s in here, right where me left her.”

“Who’s in there Bizarro?” Artemis asked wearily.

“Ma Gunn.”

“Faye? We thought she left town without a trace, how did she end up in there?”

“Me put her there.”

“WHY!?”

“She-” He frowned like his memory had chosen the worst moment to fail him, “she had letters?”

Artemis paced for a moment wondering what the hell she was supposed to do. Ma Gunn was in that bottle and Bizarro had put her there, “Do you know how to get her out?”

“Me am not sure.” Bizarro handed her the bottle and slumped down on his bed sadly, “Me am sorry. Me wish me was smart again, me was more useful then.”

She placed the bottle back on his shelf gently and sat down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Being smart isn’t everything.” She laughed softly “I mean look at Red Him.”

Bizarro cracked a grin at that “Before you said Red Him am idiot.”

“He _ is _ an idiot but that doesn’t mean he isn’t smart too. He’s good with plans, strategies and thinking on his feet, detective work and he knows an awful lot about classic literature but that doesn’t stop him from ending up in all kinds of bad situations that we have to save him from.” She paused for a second looking back at the bottle “Although to be honest, I have no idea what to do about Ma Gunn.”

“Maybe I can help.” Artemis leapt up, Mistress already in her hand at the shock of hearing another voice after so long. She looked to where the voice had come from and found nothing. She glanced around widley until finally her eyes fell to the floor when Pup Pup, the stuffed toy that Jason had bought at some random supermarket, stood, hands on hips and a proud smile on its face.

“Pup Pup?!” They both exclaimed in unison.

Bizarro grabbed him and started shaking him around trying to figure the whole thing out. “Rude.” Pup Pup complained.

Artemis reached across and steadied his arm, “Can you blame him? What happened, mere seconds ago you were just a stuffed toy and now you… have sentience.”

“Nearest I can tell Chairzarro transferred his consciousness to me with a few key directives that I needed to get done.”

“What were they?”

“Number one make sure Artemis destroys the kryptonite supply, number two free Faye Gunn, number three properly fix the dimension hopper.”

“So how do we free her exactly?”

“Just smash the bottle, she’ll be shaken up but fine.”

“What am a dimensional hopper?”

“Basically a teleporter but for dimensions. Should get this whole place back to Gotham.”

“So you can get us home?” Artemis asked, her hopes once more being piqued.

“Yep, I can get you home.”

Artemis didn’t know how long it took for Pup Pup to fix everything but it did give her enough time to talk to Ma Gunn and Bizarro. Ma Gunn explained the letters she’d gotten from Willis Todd, Jason’s dad, and how she’d hid them from Jason as a kid. “I found them again recently and I thought about giving them to him but Bizarro didn’t want me to, he said it would distract him.”

“District him?” Artemis asked, “Well clearly this plan didn’t work out Faye, Jason knows what Penguin did, he went on a rampage right before we left. He shot the Penguin and Batman had planned to take him down for it.”

“Me am sorry.”

She sighed “It’s okay. It’s Jason, I’m sure he’s figured this all out by now.”

“But we am not there to help.”

Artemis sighed, “Jason has other friends. He’ll be okay. And we’ll be back soon Pup Pup is fixing-”

“Speaking of which,” Pup Pup yelled, flying into the room, “brace yourselves, were about to teleport.”

Bizarro acted as a seatbelt for Faye and Artemis, hugging them close so when everything shook they didn’t go flying. Pup wormed his way into the hug and they all waited as the building shook and warped around them.

Then it stopped as suddenly as it had started. They had made it.

They were finally

Home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a sequel to this coming by the way. If you subscribe to this fic, I'll post here when the sequel comes but you can just subscribe to the series 'Epic'.


	13. Characters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've added quite a bit of art to the previous chapters. 2 of them are commissions, the rest I did myself.  
In this chapter I'm gonna put picrews I made of all the characters.

_ **Artemis of Bana-Mighdall AKA Artemis Grace** _

_ **The Team** _

Belyllioth, Daughter of Bellona, General of Hades

Bizarro, Champion of Kyrolis, Number 1

Carisa, Descendant of Zeus

Heron, Captain of The Return and son of Melia (minor sea goddess and nymph)

Dios, the farmer, from a noble family that lost their money. Demetria, The Queen's lady in waiting. They're siblings

Cassandra, the farmer's widow. The Farmer. Mother of 3.

_ **The Royals** _

Queen Andromeda of Thasalla

Prince Alastor of Messetta

Prince Dolon of Mesyra

_ **The Amazons** _

Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira

Princesses Atalanta and Antiope of Themyscira. They're Hippolyta's sisters.

General Phillipus 

General Nubia

_**The Immortals** _

Artemis, goddess of the Moon, the Wild, the Hunt, Maidens and Archery + Apollo, god of the Sun, Literature, Poetry, Youthful boys and Archery. The Twin Archers.

Hestia, goddess of Hearth and Home

Athena, goddess of Wisdom, Strategy and War + Poseidon, god of the Seas, the Earthshaker, Lord of Horses. They're rivals.

Medusa, cursed by Athena, 'lover' of Poseidon

Hades, King of the Underworld and god of Riches + Persephone goddess of Seasons, Spring and Queen of the Underworld


End file.
